The Atlanta Braves have acquired seven-time All-Star Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox in a deal involving infield prospect Vaughn Grissom. The Red Sox will pay $17 million out of Sale’s $27.5 million for 2024. The Braves are pushing their World Series aspirations by trading for Sale. Meanwhile, the Red Sox gets Grissom, a hot commodity in the trade market for many teams building their farm system.
Braves acquire Chris Sale
Chris Sale, a veteran left-handed pitcher, is in the last year of his five-year, 145 million-dollar deal signed in 2020. His career started with the Chicago White Sox in 2010. He was traded to the Red Sox in the 2016 offseason. In 2012, Sale earned his first All-Star appearance and seven straight All-Star appearances followed after that.
In 2023, Sale went 6–5 in 20 starts, posting a 4.30 ERA, 1.130 WHIP and 3.80 FIP in 102 2/3 innings pitched. Unfortunately for Sale, injuries including elbow, and ribs have ridiculed the back half of his career. Sale missed 2020 recovering from Tommy John surgery. In the next three seasons, Sale has only pitched in 31 games, posting a 3.93 ERA and 1.185 WHIP.
For the Braves, Sale brings in a lefty arm to a rotation that featured only one left-handed pitcher in Max Fried. The Braves’ rotation, when healthy, would offer Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Charlie Morton, and a fifth spot to a young pitcher. The fifth slot can rotate between Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Allan Winans.
Red Sox acquire Vaughn Grissom
The Red Sox dealt away a 34-year-old pitcher in exchange for Vaughn Grissom, who turns 23 on the fifth of January. Grissom is an excellent bat who has contact off the charts. In the majors, Grissom hit .280 and had a .313 OBP across 25 games. In the minors, Grissom was the best player for Braves’ Triple-A affiliate. On the Gwinnett Stripers, he posted .330 AVG, .419 OBP and .920 OPS.
Grissom was voted team MVP for the Stripers and broke two records for the club: most doubles (36) and OBP (.419). Freddie Freeman and Ernesto Mejia previously held the doubles record, while Wes Timmons held the OBP record. Altogether, Grissom’s quality at the plate was enough for Boston to budge for the talented middle infielder. The Red Sox are looking for a replacement at shortstop in the near future after being short in the position this past season, and Grissom looks to fill the void.
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