Braves bail out Red Sox, trade top prospect for Chris Sale’s contract in shocker

The Atlanta Braves certainly have stayed busy this offseason with the trade for Jarred Kelenic to play left field and a slew of moves to reshape the bullpen. They also signed Reynaldo Lopez which may or may not end up benefitting the rotation, but the deal was a good one to make either way. However, many Braves fans have been clamoring for more especially when it comes to adding a starting pitcher.

In fairness to Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves, it hasn't been for lack of trying. They reportedly made an offer to Aaron Nola before he returned to Philadelphia and they were widely known to have been interested in Sonny Gray before he signed with the Cardinals. There have also been no shortage of connections between the team and a Dylan Cease trade with the White Sox, although progress there has been minimal so far.

Well, Alex Anthopoulos once again worked his magic and pulled off a deal that no one expected on Saturday as it was reported that the Braves were acquiring Chris Sale in a stunning deal with the Red Sox.

Braves' trade for Chris Sale has tons of risk as well as upside

The most important thing about this deal is how much of Sale's contract the Braves are actually going to be paying. Boston is sending $17 million over with Sale and given that he is owed $27.5 million for 2024 with the Braves now also holding a $20 million option for 2025, this deal could end up being a bargain for the Braves if Sale can return to form and be good enough to warrant exercising that option. Given that $10 million of Sale's salary next year is deferred, the Braves basically have his entire financial commitment covered already for 2024.

The good news with this deal is that Sale's track record when he is healthy is pretty remarkable. He has made seven All-Star teams, has finished in the top 6 of Cy Young voting seven times, and has fairly consistently missed bats his entire career. The problem is that he can't stay healthy with Tommy John surgery as well as a rib and finger injury all costing him significant time over the last few years. He made 20 starts last year which still wasn't a full season's worth, but it was also the most starts he had made since 2019.

As for Grissom, it was just hard to see him having a future in Atlanta. The guy can clearly hit, but it is unclear as to whether or not he will ever impact the ball consistently and his defense is still questionable despite some improvements the last year or two. The Braves tried to sell him as an option in left field for 2024, but that ship sailed once the ink was dry on the Kelenic deal and there wasn't a clear spot for him in the big leagues with Atlanta going forward after that.

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