The Braves and Red Sox agreed to a major trade, as lefties Chris Sale He'll head to Atlanta for a shot von Grissom, ESPN's Jeff Passan Reports. The Sox will also include $17 million in the deal to help cover Sale's $27.5 million salary for the 2024 season, according to Boston Globe Alex Speer. Sale had a full no-trade clause that he waived to facilitate the move.
The surprise move ends Sale's tumultuous Boston career after seven years and six seasons, as Sale missed the entire 2020 season. After being acquired as part of a blockbuster trade with the White Sox in December 2016, Sale pitched admirably in his first two seasons at Fenway, twice finishing in the top four in AL Cy Young Award voting and playing a big role in Boston's World Series title. In 2018.
With 2019 being the final year of former Sale's contract, the Red Sox were aggressive in locking up their star, signing him to a five-year, $145 million extension covering the 2020-24 seasons, with a $20 million club option for the 2025 campaign. Unfortunately, this extension proved to be a huge mistake, as Sale began to have injury issues even late in the 2018 season. He was shut down in August 2019 due to an elbow infection and received a PRP injection, however this elbow issue was just a harbinger of the Tommy John surgery that cost He tore through the entire 2020 season and most of his 2021 campaign.
Bad injury luck has continued over the past two seasons, as Sale has been sidelined by a wide range of ailments including a stress reaction in his ribs, a broken finger, a broken wrist (suffered in a bicycle accident), and a stress reaction in his ribs. Shoulder bone. Sale threw just 48 1/3 total innings in 2021-22, while he rebounded somewhat to hit 102 2/3 frames last season.
His 93.9 mph fastball velocity in 2023 exceeded his career average slightly, while his strikeout, walk, and strikeout rates were all well above the league average. While the southpaw may never return to his former elite form, Sale's 2023 performance at least suggests he still has a significant amount of skill as he enters his age-35 season, provided he can stay on the field.
This is exactly what the Braves are counting on from Sale as a third or even fourth outfielder Max Fried, Spencer StriderAnd Charlie Morton In team rotation. President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos is counting on the upside for the Sale to bolster the pitching staff and Atlanta's group of young arms (AJ Smith Schover, Dylan Dodd, Huascar Ynoa, Darius VinesAnd the highest probability Hurston Waldrep) and the swinging man Reynaldo Lopez He could provide additional depth if Sale or someone else in the rotation needs time on the injured list.
In typical Anthopoulos fashion, this particular trade came out of nowhere, even if the Braves are known to be looking for some pitching help. Atlanta has had great success Aaron Nola Before re-signing with the Phillies, free agent and trade targets like Tyler Glasnow, Dylan stopped, Sonny GrayAnd Seth Lugo They have also been linked to the Braves in the rumor mill.
Since Sale's extension for the Red Sox contains $10 million in deferred money per season, it would cost the Braves just $500,000 in actual salary in 2024. Even without the deferral, a one-year, $10.5 million deal for Sale as a free agent would have been That would be a reasonable price or even a minor bargain for a pitcher with his proven track record. It could perhaps be argued that the Braves might have been better off finding such a pitcher on the free agent market rather than trading away a promising young player like Grissom, but it's also fair to note that such a rotation upgrade probably wouldn't have been present at the $10.5 million price tag. Or dealing with a pitcher like Cease, Corbin Burns, Shane Bieberor other trade candidates still available could cost Atlanta a lot more than just Grissom.
Sale's $20 million club option for 2025 should also not be discounted, as the Braves may consider exercising that option if Sale pitches well. The $20 million figure matches what Morton is earning this season, and since Morton has been retired over the past few years, Sale would likely step in as Atlanta's veteran rotation arm if Morton hangs up his boots next winter. Sale's $20 million club option is actually a vesting option that becomes guaranteed if he finishes the year healthy and finishes in the top 10 in NL Cy Young Award voting.
Anthopoulos and team president Terry McGuirk weren't kidding last November when they said the Braves planned to continue increasing payroll. The Braves' opening day payroll of $203 million as of 2023 was already a club record, and List resources It now shows a payroll of just under $241 million for the 2024 team. After passing the luxury tax hurdle for the first time in 2023, the Braves' estimated $280 million tax number now rises above the third penalty tier of $277 million, so they will face increasingly large raises as payers. For the second time. Passing the third tier means Atlanta's top pick in the 2024 draft will now drop 10 spots, and they will face the standard tax penalties related to eligible free agents and the international bonus pool.
That doesn't appear to be much of a drag for the Atlanta club, which has been swimming in additional revenue since the opening of Truist Park and its adjacent stadium village project known as The Battery. The Braves used that money to lock up several members of their roster to contract extensions, and this young core has already delivered a 2021 World Series and six straight NL East crowns.
The outlook was not rosy at Fenway Park, as the Red Sox have been extremely inconsistent since the 2018 title. On the heels of consecutive last-place finishes in the AL East; Craig Breslow Replacing Chaim Bloom as president of the baseball team, Breslow now has his first real trade as a front office executive.
Starting pitching was a known need for the Red Sox all winter, and Boston just signed Lucas Giolito Yesterday to help address the rotation mix. While moving the sale diminishes the number of available arms, the trade frees up some money to help make other moves, and perhaps the Sox simply wanted a more reliable option to start the pitching than the injury-plagued sale. Additionally, adding six years of team control to a promising player like Grissom is a nice return for the Sox at a cost of $17 million.
Grissom immediately fills Boston's need for second base help. An 11th-round pick to Atlanta in the 2019 draft, Grissom has torn up the minor league during his four seasons in the Braves farm system and quickly put himself on the radar for a big league call-up. Grissom hit .291/.353/.440 over 156 plate appearances in 2022, though followed up with a more modest .659 OPS in just 80 PA last season. When given the opportunity to work a short day job, Grissom fell behind Orlando Arcia on the depth chart, and ultimately spent most of the season in Triple-A since the Braves wanted him to play regularly instead of sitting on the bench.
Grissom spent much of his minor league career as a shortstop, but there were some questions about his ability to remain long-term at the position. Moving to second base or third base was difficult for the Braves Ozzy bass And Austin Riley He was already slotted, so Grissom was getting some reps as an outfielder as a potential candidate to fill the club's vacant left field position. However, takeover Jared Kelenic It also appears that the sailors closed this door.
There are no such positional blocks in Boston, where the Red Sox may install Grissom as their second baseman on Opening Day. He fits Breslow's preferred addition for a right-handed hitter, and Grissom's gloves could or should work well at the less demanding second base position. Getting Grissom into the fold can now land Emmanuel Valdez, Pablo Reyesor Rob Refsnider To pure reserve duty or perhaps even as a commercial foil, while Sedan Rafaela He now looks more likely to be used as a outfielder (and Rafaela may be a trade candidate himself).
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