Boston’s deal for Sale tips scale in AL East

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski just changed the balance of power in the American League East with Boston’s acquisition of Chris Sale.

To put it another way, the rest of the division is on the clock. Don’t be surprised if the Yankees suddenly ratchet up their pursuit of Aroldis Chapman. Likewise, the Orioles and Mark Trumbo.

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The Red Sox now have Sale, Rick Porcello and David Price stacked at the top of their rotation, and they will be heavily favored to win the AL East for the second year in a row.

Beyond that — and this is the key — Boston now has a potentially dominant October rotation. This is why we love Dombrowski. He thinks big. He works fearlessly.

Dombrowski made this trade knowing it could look terrible somewhere down the line. To get Sale, Dombrowski surrendered a package of prospects that includes two of baseball’s best: infielder Yoan Moncada and right-hander Michael Kopech.

There are executives who wouldn’t have pulled the trigger on this deal. No one would argue Sale’s ability. He’s 27 years old and signed for three more seasons at around $13 million per season. In the last three seasons, he has averaged 203 innings and 238 strikeouts with a …

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