Sale away

In a surprise move last week, the Red Sox traded one-time ace, Chris Sale, to the Atlanta Braves. The surprise to me is that the Red Sox and new director of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, found a suitor for the oft-injured Sale. The Red Sox acquired 22-year-old minor league middle infielder, Vaughn Grissom, from the Braves. The Sox are also tossing in $17 million to help cover the $27 million owed Sale in 2024. The trade sounds like a win-win for both teams.

Grissom has, as they say, had a “cup of coffee” at the big league level. The problem for Grissom is that his path to the big leagues is blocked due to the Braves’ stellar infield of Ozzie Albies, Orlando Arcia, and Austin Riley, all of whom are relatively young and locked up long term contractually.

So there was just no way of Grissom breaking the starting lineup with the Braves anytime soon. The Braves gave Grissom a chance to start at shortstop when their long time shortstop, Dansby Swanson, signed a mega contract with the Chicago Cubs prior to the 2023 season. That opened the door slightly for Swanson for the starting shortstop job, but he was beat out by Arcia.

The bat has never been a problem for Grissom. His problem was that he was challenging for a position that he is probably ill-equipped to play defensively. His range and arm didn’t seem adequate for shortstop.

That’s good because the Red Sox will be hoping he wins the starting second basemen’s job next year. Middle infield was a huge problem for the Red Sox last year. The return of Trevor Story midway through the season helped solve the shortstop issue, but the second base issue was never resolved. The Red Sox even resorted to playing DH Justin Turner at second base at times.

Grissom seems to handle the bat well. He hasn’t struck out much at the minor league level. He has batted for a high average at every level, compiling a .320 average over four minor league seasons. The power has been lacking, but he is only 22 years old and does have the frame (6'2", 210 lbs.) to add some more muscle. His first career home run actually came at Fenway. So his bat seems to be major league ready. It will be his defense that will be the concern, but, hey, the Red Sox didn’t play much defense in 2023 anyway.

The fact that the Red Sox were willing to trade Sale for only Grissom, plus throw in $17 million, is telling of how Breslow feels about Grissom and what his potential could be.

It is difficult to gauge how Sale’s time in Boston will be viewed. He was an integral part of the team winning a World Series in 2018, coming out of the bullpen to record the final out against the Dodgers via strikeout. The Red Sox should have been satisfied with that. Sale’s tall, lanky frame and sidearm delivery have always made his durability a concern. It was no secret.

Sale’s first two seasons in Boston brought back memories of Pedro Martinez. He was that dominant, going a combined 29-12 those two years. In 2017, he struck out 308 batters. In 2018, he finished with a 2.11 ERA, culminating with that World Series victory.

Then, he signed a five-year, $145 million extension in March, 2019. That is when things went south, quickly. He would start only 54 more games in the next four years for the Red Sox. and record only 17 more wins. He missed the entire 2020 season following Tommy John surgery. He suffered a broken rib in spring training and broke his pinky on a comebacker in 2022. He fractured his wrist in a bicycle accident later that same year. And he fractured his shoulder blade last year, just because.

There is no doubting Sale’s abilities when he is healthy, even though he will be 35 when the 2024 season starts. His size and delivery, alone, makes him hard to hit – similar to Randy Johnson, who pitched effectively well into his mid-40s. Despite losing some velocity on his fastball, Sale can still fire it to the plate in the low to mid-90s. His sweeping slider is one of the toughest pitches in baseball to hit. His control is still there. And there is no questioning his competitiveness.

Anytime someone helps a team win a championship, you have to view his time with the team a success, no matter what. Heck, there have been generations of Red Sox fans who were born and died never having seen the Red Sox win a World Series. Sale had two of the best seasons any Red Sox starting pitcher has ever had. It would have taken an incredible amount of courage not to give Sale an extension after those first two seasons, but it is not hindsight to say it was a mistake. Many, at the time, said so. But others would have been outraged if Sale was allowed to walk at the time. Having said all that, expect Sale to win the National League Cy Young Award this year with the Braves after he helps them win the World Series.