Braves' Chris Sale Trade Looks Even Better One Year Later
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It's been exactly 13 months since the Atlanta Braves acquired left-handed starter Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox.
Initially, it appeared to be an even trade, maybe even one that favored the Red Sox because of the potential of infielder Vaughn Grissom, who went to Boston in exchange for Sale. But then details of the trade surface, the biggest one being that the Red Sox agreed to pay more than 60 percent of Sale's 2024 salary.
Sale turned out to be worth full price. He led the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts on his way to the NL Cy Young award during 2024.
The Braves will pay Sale's full $22 million salary in 2025. But Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller still argued Boston's decision to ship the lefty out of town last winter will continue to haunt the team this season.
"There's a chance Grissom could come back this season, play a big role for Boston and somewhat balance the scales here. However, that's rather unlikely, if only because two of the top prospects in this farm system are middle infielders (Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell) who ought to be ready for the big leagues this season, if not by Opening Day," wrote Miller.
"Because of that, it's plausible Grissom never plays again for the Red Sox, which would cement this swap as one of the most lopsided deals in decades."
Of course, from the Braves' perspective, the Sale-Grissom deal was terrific. On Jan. 29, Braves on SI's Harrison Smajovits ranked the move one of the five best trades in Atlanta baseball history.
Sale went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177.2 innings during his first season with the Braves. He made his first All-Star team since 2018.
From 2012-18, Sale made the All-Star team every year. Except for 2017 and 2018, those seasons were with the Chicago White Sox.
During his first season with the Red Sox in 2017, Sale finished second in AL Cy Young voting. He then posted a 12-4 record and 2.11 ERA in 2018.
The Braves hope Sale can follow a similar trajectory in Atlanta, dominating again during his second season with the team. Of course, it'd also be great for Atlanta if it does what Boston did as a team in Sale's second season. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2018.
If that happens in 2025 with Sale a focal point of the Braves rotation, the Sale-Grissom deal could be remembered as one of the most lopsided MLB trades ever.