Boston Red Sox Send Ace Chris Sale to Atlanta Braves in Massive Blockbuster Trade
The Boston Red Sox have traded left-handed pitcher Chris Sale and cash considerations to the Atlanta Braves for infield prospect Vaughn Grissom, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Saturday afternoon.
The teams confirmed the move not long after.
The swap comes less than 24 hours after Boston inked Lucas Giolito to a two-year deal worth up to $38.5 million. Sale was due $27.5 million in 2024, which was the final guaranteed year of the massive extension he signed with the Red Sox in 2019.
According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are sending an additional $17 million to the Braves as part of the blockbuster deal.
As a result of the trade, Sale's time in Boston is coming to an end after an up-and-down seven-year stint.
Sale finished second and fourth in AL Cy Young voting in 2017 and 2018, respectively, leading the Red Sox to a World Series title in the latter of his two elite campaigns with the club. At the time, he seemed well worth the collection of top prospects Boston sent to the Chicago White Sox to land him in December 2016, so ownership rewarded him with a new five-year contract.
To that point in his career, Sale was 103-62 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.030 WHIP, 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings, a 42.5 WAR and seven All-Star appearances, well on his way to a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Things fell apart from there, though. While Sale still boasts a 1.136 WHIP since 2019, he is 17-18 with a 4.16 ERA and 4.8 WAR in a mere 298.1 innings.
Sale has suffered multiple injuries to his elbow, ribs, finger and shoulder in that time, making it very difficult for the now-34-year-old veteran to stay on the mound. He missed all of 2020 and made just 11 regular season appearances between 2021 and 2022.
Without Sale, the questions surrounding the Red Sox's rotation remain unanswered. Beyond Giolito and 24-year-old Brayan Bello, the rest of their internal options have seen more success as openers and long relievers in recent years – Garrett Whitlock, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck and Kutter Crawford.
Boston will be acquiring Grissom, who was Atlanta's No. 7 prospect before making his MLB debut in 2022. The soon-to-be-23-year-old middle infielder has 216 big league at-bats under his belt, hitting .287 with a .746 OPS in that limited time.
Grissom could compete for real time at second base, given all the turnover the Red Sox have had there since Dustin Pedroia.
As for the Braves, they add another star to a rotation that already featured 20-game winner Spencer Strider, promising young righty Bryce Elder and veterans Max Fried and Charlie Morton. Atlanta got knocked out in the NLDS after winning 104 games in 2023, so they appear to be loading up to make sure things don't end on a sour note again in 2024.
Should the Braves want to keep Sale around for 2025, he has a $20 million club option tacked onto the end of his deal.
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