ATLANTA — Chris Sale’s injury-filled profession with the Red Sox ended Saturday when the 34-year-old left-hander accepted a commerce to the Atlanta Braves that despatched infielder Vaughn Grissom to Boston.
Boston is also giving money to the Braves, masking a portion of the $27.5 million wage the seven-time All-Star is owed in 2024, the ultimate assured season of a $160 million, six-year contract. That 2024 wage contains $10 million deferred till June 30, 2039.
Sale was acquired by Boston from the Chicago White Sox in December 2016 and has made 9 journeys to the disabled and injured lists with the Red Sox, principally because of shoulder and elbow illnesses. He had Tommy John surgical procedure on March 30, 2020, and returned to an enormous league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.
He was 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 20 begins and 102 2/3 innings final season.
“The last few years he’s obviously had some IL time,” Braves basic supervisor Alex Anthopoulos stated. “You can’t run from that. You realize that. But we feel like this is the first normal offseason he’ll have had in a long time. But at the same time, look, he’s coming off 100 innings pitched last year.”
Sale helped the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018 however has made simply 56 begins within the final 4 years, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA. He had 400 strikeouts and 79 walks in 298 1/3 innings.
Aside from arm points, Sale fractured a rib whereas pitching in batting observe in February 2022 through the administration lockout. In his second begin again he broke his left pinkie finger on July 17 when hit by a line drive off the bat of the New York Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his proper wrist whereas driving a bicycle en path to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.
He went 46-30 with a 3.27 ERA in 115 begins with the Red Sox, making the All-Star group in his first two seasons. Sale has a 120-80 profession file with a 3.10 ERA, 2,189 strikeouts and 416 walks in 1,780 2/3 innings.
“We really like his ability. We love the makeup and the person and what he brings to our clubhouse,” Anthopoulos stated. “We think when he’s out on the mound, he’s a playoff-caliber starter.”
As a 10-year veteran who spent the previous 5 seasons along with his group, Sale had the suitable to refuse any commerce.
He joins a Braves rotation projected to incorporate Spencer Strider, Max Fried and Charlie Morton. Anthopoulos stated Bryce Elder and Reynaldo López are among the many candidates for the No. 5 slot.
The 22-year-old Grissom has a .287 common with 5 homers and 27 RBIs over 64 video games with Atlanta through the previous two seasons. He made 41 begins at second base and 19 at shortstop.
Grissom made his large league debut at Fenway Park on Aug. 10, 2022, and hit a two-run homer over the Green Monster in his third plate look.
“I think he’s going to have a fantastic career,” Anthopoulos stated. “It’s tough to part with a guy like that.”
