The Chris Sale Trade Yet Another Clever Move by the Atlanta Braves

In a smoke-free MLB trade before a fire broke out, Chris Sale (and a suitcase full of cash) was suddenly traded by the Boston Red Sox to the Atlanta Braves for the future 23-year-old infielder years old Vaughn Grissom.

The sale was expected to fetch $27.5 million in 2024, and Boston recouped nearly 62% of that tab, shipping $17 million in the deal. The 35-year-old pitcher joined an Atlanta starting lineup that already included Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Max Fried.

The virtuoso move by Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos proved even more valuable when it was announced that rising star Spencer Strider would go under the knife with season-ending elbow surgery At the beginning of April.

From first round pick to one of the best weapons on the planet

Barack Obama was only in his second year as president in 2010 when Chris Sale, a Florida Gulf Coast University student, was drafted first overall by the Chicago White Sox.

After a cup of coffee at High-A, Sale was a strikeout machine for Triple-A Charlotte posting a 21.32 K/9 in relief. He joined the White Sox later that year and was put on notice with a slim 1.93 ERA and 12.3 K/9.

In his early days, Sale relied heavily on a drop sinker along with an effective slider and occasional changeup. He finally became a starter in 2012.

Over the next seven years, Sale accumulated 39.2 fWAR with 7 consecutive All-Star nods.

He was in the top 6 or better in Cy Young Award voting every season during that stretch, finishing 2nd in 2017, his first year in Boston.

Sale won a World Series ring the following year as he and the Red Sox eliminated the Los Angeles Dodgers in 5 games.

Overcoming injuries and on the comeback trail

In 2017, Chris added a four-seamer to his repertoire and his slider had become world-class dirty while essentially replacing his sinker. It was no coincidence that he achieved a career-high 7.6 fWAR that season.

After overcoming a broken wrist, fractured finger, fractured rib and, yes, Tommy John surgery over the next few years, the Lakeland, Fla. native eclipsed 100 IP in 2023 for the first time since before the pandemic.

With his deadly slider boasting a 40.2 Whiff% and four-seam fastball clocked at 95 mph, Sale has been very effective in 8 starts in 2024 with an ERA+ of 162.

He’s not quite the robust sell of his peak years, but he’s on pace to achieve his highest fWAR and IP numbers since 2018. A total of 49 innings in 2024, he has a record of 6- 1 with 0.89 WHIP, 11.05 K/9 and a . 271 BABIP – which would be his best as a starter.

Sell ​​remains virtually deadlocked at the top with Blake Snell as MLB’s all-time leader in Ks per 9 innings with just over 11.

Mixed bag in October?

Looking at his entire resume, Chris Sale doesn’t have a great playoff record on paper. In 10 games and 7 starts, he is 1-3 with a 6.35 ERA and 1.44 WHIP giving up 7 bombs in 34 innings pitched.

What he does have, however, is a World Series ring. Despite not having his best stuff, Sale fought back in the 5th inning of Game 1 of the 2018 World Series, beating out Clayton Kershaw who was hit for 5 earned runs in 4 innings.

The former 13th overall pick didn’t qualify for the win, but Boston took an 8-4 victory.

He pitched again in the 5th and final game of the 18′ series, striking out the side in the 9th to cap a 7 inning gem by David Price that beat Kersahw and the Dodgers to become world champions.

So, past issues aside, a healthy sell-off in the playoff roster for the 2024 Braves – currently with a 99.1% chance of making the postseason – likely makes them even more of a threat heading into October.

– And Grissom?

Vaughn Grissom fell off the proverbial cliff after showing promise with the Braves while filling in for an injured Ozzy Albies in 2022. Vaughn is currently hitting .171 with a -6 wRC+. The former 11th round pick in the 2019 amateur draft is struggling to hold down a spot in the big league.