Kenny Williams: Chris Sale to stick with the plan

Merkin:

“Well, I’m a big believer of sticking to the plan until there’s a reason not to stick to the plan,” said Williams. “The plan that was laid out for him was exactly what has happened so far. He would go to the Minors, get his relief shoes on, so to speak, come to the big leagues and play an important role down the stretch.

“He’s done exactly that. The second part of that plan was for Chris to go to Spring Training [in 2011] as a starter and compete for a job in the rotation. I see no reason why we have to deviate from that plan. I understand the value of him down in the bullpen and how that sets up the bullpen. But we have the opportunity to stick with the plan in developing him as a starter in Spring Training.

“That allows us to take our time with Jake Peavy and ensure that he’s 100 percent ready to go in Spring Training,” Williams said. “The worst case scenario? Sale starts off and wins a rotation job in Spring Training and starts off as the fifth guy, which is probably early in the season more valuable than the first left-hander out of the bullpen.”