Chris Sale trade: Braves acquire veteran All-Star pitcher from Red Sox for young infielder Vaughn Grissom

The Atlanta Braves are acquiring left-hander Chris Sale and $17 million in cash considerations from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for young infielder Vaughn Grissom. Sale, slated to make $27.5 million in 2024, has waived his no-trade clause to facilitate the deal.

Sale, 34, is entering the final guaranteed season of his contract. (The Braves will hold a club option on Sale’s services for the 2025 season worth $20 million.) Last year, he started 20 times and amassed a 4.30 ERA (106 ERA+) and a 4.31 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He continued to show the abilities to both suppress quality of contact and generate empty swings with an arsenal that’s heavy on 94 mph fastballs and 78 mph sliders. Indeed, Sale ranked in the 73rd percentile or better in both average exit velocity against and whiff rate. 

Sale is one of the most accomplished active pitchers in the majors. He’s a seven-time All-Star who also received Cy Young Award consideration in seven consecutive seasons from 2012-18. More recently, he’s been hampered by injuries that limited him to just 11 appearances from 2020-22. 

Sale will join a Braves rotation that includes Spencer Strider, Max Fried, and Charlie Morton. Atlanta had been tied to Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease earlier this winter. It stands to reason that the Sale acquisition could reduce their sense of urgency on that front.

Grissom, 23 on Jan. 5, appeared to be the Braves’ shortstop of the future at this time last year. Those expectations had been set after an introduction to the majors that saw him post a 119 OPS+ in 41 games in 2022. Alas, rather than take the reins where departed free agent Dansby Swanson left them, Grissom instead spent most of the season in Triple-A after struggling both at the plate and in the field.

There’s still reason to think Grissom can provide value as a hitter. Defensively, it seems like a settled issue that he’s not capable of being a starting shortstop. The Red Sox will presumably plop him down at second base (with Trevor Story sticking at shortstop) and let him do his thing — an approach that should work in their favor. Given that Grissom has oodles more team control remaining — and won’t clear league-minimum compensation for some time to come — it’s fair to write that this is a move for the present and the future. 

The Red Sox will have to again sort out their rotation situation following Sale’s departure. On Friday, Boston signed veteran starter Lucas Giolito to a two-year contract with the hope that he can bounce back from a down year.