One year ago today Alex Anthopoulos made a deal that has the chance to become the most lopsided trade in his time as the Atlanta Braves' general manager. The trade I'm speaking of is of course the one-for-one swap that sent Vaughn Grissom to Boston, and brought eventual NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale to Atlanta.
Braves land eventual Cy Young winner Chris Sale from Red Sox in exchange for top infield prospect
Each player couldn't have had more opposite seasons in 2024. Braves fans know how dominate Chris Sale was each and every night. Sale had perhaps the best season of his impressive 14 year career in 2024 pitching to a league leading 18-3 record, 2.38 ERA, and 2.09 FIP. Those numbers were good enough for Sale to win the first NL Triple Crown for pitching since Clayton Kershaw did so in 2011.
Make that 10 Ks for Chris Sale! pic.twitter.com/KgQPs1IVZz
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2024
The 35 year-old lefty took home some hardware as well, winning his first Cy Young award on top of being named the National League comeback player of the year. Meanwhile, former Braves prospect Vaughn Grissom struggled to stay on the field and produce during his first season in Boston. Grissom finished with just over 100 at-bats and an abysmal .465 OPS.
Grissom's 2024 filled with struggles led to some voiced frustration, and question from Red Sox faithful debating his future with the team. Grissom will enter 2025 at just 24 years of age, and hopeful of reestablishing himself as a core piece of Boston's future.
Meanwhile in Braves camp, Sale will look to continue the dominance he displayed last season and perhaps perform well enough over these next few years that he earns a future call to Cooperstown. As the roster stands right now, Sale will anchor a rotation alongside rising star Spencer Schwellenbach and a returning Spencer Strider.
It's been just one year of results from this trade, but the early returns of this deal swing the favor massively in Anthopoulos' corner. Time will tell how Sale finishes his career and if Grissom can entrench himself as a Major League starter, but Braves fans certainly have to be ecstatic with how things have played out over the first calendar year.