Alex Cora Doesn't Sugarcoat Red Sox's Chris Sale Trade Decision

The deal happened, and all sides might be better off

Feb 27, 2026; North Port, Florida, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox during spring training at CoolToday Park. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Every time Chris Sale pitches against the Boston Red Sox, it's natural that the subject of the trade from two offseasons ago should come back around.

Obviously, the Atlanta Braves made out like bandits in the deal that saw Sale and cash considerations come over from Boston in exchange for already-departed infielder Vaughn Grissom. However, the Red Sox have also completely retooled their rotation in the time since Sale's departure, with the prominent additions of Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, and Sonny Gray.

It's been an eventful week for Sale, who pitched 2 2/3 rocky innings against the Red Sox in Grapefruit League play on Friday in his first game action after inking a $27 million extension for next year and a $30 million club option for 2028.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Red Sox skipper thinks trade worked out for everyone

Sep 21, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (20) removes starting pitcher Chris Sale (41) from the game during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

After Friday's game, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked to look back on the Sale trade, and he indicated that there was no need to rethink the decision from Boston's perspective, but also stated the obvious that things had worked out quite well for Sale and Atlanta.

“We don’t need to go there,” Cora said, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “We made a decision based on where we were and where we were going. He’s in a good place over there in Atlanta, and we are in a good place right here.”

Cora has always been appreciative of Sale, the first ace he managed with the Red Sox, and the man who recorded the final three outs of the team's World Series championship in 2018. He kept showing that love on Friday.

“What a career. Probably he was talking about retirement, what two, three years ago? And shoot, he’s going to make 27 (million dollars) next year,” Cora said, per Speier. “Just happy for him. He’s one of the best.”

Boston and Atlanta will face each other just once this season, in Atlanta from May 15-17. We'll see if Sale will get another chance to dominate his old team, as he did for seven innings at Fenway Park last season.