Chris Sale dealt to Atlanta Braves by Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox raise eyebrows with a trade that sees 13-season veteran Chris Sale sent to the Atlanta Braves.
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (41) works in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Atlanta Braves Saturday, March 16, 2019, in Fort Myers, Fla. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
John BazemoreAP
The Atlanta Braves have improved their pitching rotation ahead of the 2024 Major League season with the arrival of pitcher Chris Sale in a strange deal with the Boston Red Sox.
Reportedly, the Red Sox have sent their former perennial Cy Young caliber lefty to Atlanta for middle infielder Vaughn Grissom, listed as one of the Braves’ top prospects and financial considerations.
Boston will send $17 million to Atlanta to take over Sale’s contract. The seven-time All-Star is scheduled to make $27.5 million in 2024 and has a 2025 team option worth a further $20 million.
A 13-season veteran, Sale has played 343 games with both the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox. He has 263 career starts for a record of 120-80.
Throwing from the port side, Sale has a 3.10 ERA, allowing 614 runs in 1,780.2 innings of work. He has notched up 2,189 strikeouts off of the 7,177 batters he has faced, and is MLB’s all-time leader in most strikeouts per nine innings with 11.1.
Braves’ potential starting rotation
With the addition of Sale, the Braves have six top-notch starters to choose from. Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder, and AJ Smith-Shawver round out the stable.
Injuries marred Fried’s 2023 season, while Strider was a rookie sensation, leading the Major Leagues with 281 strikeouts. Additionally, Elder received his first invitation to the All-Star Game.
Boston’s future plans
This trade may look on the surface as if it makes little sense for a Red Sox organization that is crying out for starters capable of putting innings under the keel. But those injury fears of Sale’s may have convinced them to free up a large chunk of cash to make a play for one of the big arms on offer around the league.
Apart from getting Grissom in the deal – no mean feat considering the middle infield needs in Boston – this could signal that the Sox are planning to make a hard run at getting their hands on Jordan Montgomery. And if they can pull that off, then this will be seen as a trade well worth the squeeze.
