“Any time you replace someone like Sale, who has made such a significant contribution to this organization and was obviously an incredibly important part of a World Series-winning team, it's a really tough decision,” said Craig Breslow, Sox Chief Baseball Officer. “But in the end, I felt like this was the best decision for the Red Sox in both the short and long term.”
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Sale, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the White Sox in December 2016, spent seven years with Boston. His tenure began with complete dominance as he finished second in AL Cy Young voting in 2017 with a 17-8 record, 2.90 ERA and 308 strikeouts in 214⅓ innings. However, he hasn't had a healthy season since.
Sale was underwhelming in 2018 (12-4, 2.11 ERA, 237 strikeouts in 158 innings) but missed nearly two months with left shoulder bursitis. Although his postseason performance wavered, he closed out the game in dramatic fashion, striking out the team in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium, marking the Red Sox's fourth championship of the century.
Sale received his extension just days before his final season before free agency, but his injury problems only got worse. Sale missed the final six weeks of 2019 with an elbow strain, then ruptured his ulnar collateral ligament in March 2020, resulting in Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire condensed season and most of 2021.
It was the start of a bewildering series of illnesses — including a ribcage stress fracture, broken pinkie, broken wrist and shoulder stress fracture — that limited him to 34 appearances over the past four seasons, including three in the 2021 playoffs.
“Chris gave our organization everything he had and more,” team CEO and president Sam Kennedy said via text message. “He was always there for his teammates. We are very grateful for his contribution on and off the field.”
Sale showed flashes of dominance last season, looking all-powerful in May – before his shoulder injury left him on the injured list for 10 weeks – and in his last three starts, when he refused to be sidelined for the season and instead posted a 1 ERA .13 had 19 strikeouts in 16 innings.
“He wanted to prove to his teammates that no matter what happens, you have to find a way to perform regardless of the circumstances,” manager Alex Cora wrote via text message, describing Sale as “transparent, authentic, [and] responsible.”
Although Sale once again demonstrated his top qualities with one year left on his contract, he was a better fit for Atlanta, which is so well-utilized that it can manage its workload during the regular season in hopes of getting paid in October.
“We believe he is a playoff-level starter and that is exactly what we were looking for,” said Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations. “We love the makeup, the persona and what he brings to the clubhouse.”
Grissom, who turns 23 on Friday, takes over in a pinch, giving the Sox a second baseman for 2024 and beyond. He made a memorable big league debut at Fenway in 2022, going 2 for 4 with a home run on August 10 after being promoted from Double A. He hit .291/.353/.440 with five home runs and five steals – primarily as a second baseman – in the final 41 games of 2022.
But there was no vacancy in Atlanta's infield. Grissom played just 23 big league games in 2023 while putting up strong numbers in Triple A – .330/.419/.501, with 8 home runs and 48 extra base hits in 102 games. A top talent, but blocked.
“We couldn’t have gotten a guy like Chris Sale if Vaughn wasn’t the one going the other way,” Anthopoulos said. “You won’t find a better person. The makeup is as good as it gets. A high energy player who makes those around him better, can hit flat shots and has tremendous bat handling skills. . . . He is now absolutely ready to be an everyday player at the major league level. And this is a great opportunity for him in his career.
“He will fit in fantastic there,” Anthopoulos added. “It is painful [deal]because we value him so much, but it fits his career much better.”
Breslow called Grissom “a really strong right-handed hitter who is one of the top players in the minor leagues and has six years of control.” I've talked at length about the exciting emerging core of players we want to build around. This group is growing and we definitely count Vaughn as part of that group.”
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Grissom has the talent to improve the Sox production at second base, where Boston's .663 OPS ranked 22nd in the majors last season. Breslow said the team could use him there as an everyday player who wants to get even stronger as he matures.
However, the squad remains incomplete. Breslow began the offseason citing an improved rotation as his top priority. With Sale gone and James Paxton a free agent, even with Lucas Giolito agreeing to a two-year, $38.5 million contract on Friday, it's safe to assume the starting group will be depleted compared to last year.
Still, there is both free agency money and plenty of young players — especially outfielders and centerfielders — to make deals. Saturday's trade, adding to an already large group of upper-midfield prospects, suggests Breslow won't shy away from using roster-building tools.
“There’s still a lot of time left in the offseason,” he said. “I would still put starting pitching right up there [of the team’s needs, but] didn't want to be paralyzed by focusing solely on starting pitching [and] Let's miss the opportunity to improve the team's longer-term prospects. But with that in mind, I think we can continue to explore the starting pitching market in both free agency and trade.”
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Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @alexspeier.