Evaluating the Braves-Red Sox Chris Sale for Vaughn Grissom Trade

Image credit: Vaughn Grissom is now a Boston Red Sox (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

A busy offseason for Atlanta and Boston got even busier on the 364th day of the year.

The Red Sox sent former ace Chris Sale and cash to the Braves for infielder Vaughn Grissom. The trade was an injection of action into what has been a relatively quiet offseason. The trade makes sense for both clubs and gives a clear indication of the direction of the Red Sox for 2024 and beyond under new GM Craig Breslow. 

This is the fifth trade made by Breslow since he took over the general manager duties on Oct. 24. Breslow has acquired six players under team control so far this offseason in outfielder Tyler O’Neill, pitchers Isaiah Campbell, Richard Fitts, Greg Weissert, Justin Slaten and now Grissom, a potential everyday player with above-average hitting ability. This comes a day after the Red Sox signed Lucas Giolito to a two-year contract. 

For the Braves, they acquire a veteran starter and former ace who’s struggled to stay on the field the last six seasons. When healthy last season, Sale showed he can still contribute to a rotation. He’s also coming off a season in which he exceeded 100 innings for the first time since 2019. 

The Braves have been active on the trade market as well, as this was their seventh trade of the offseason. A majority of those moves have looked to address 40-man roster depth, the bullpen and supporting players around the Braves impressive young core of hitters who are largely signed to long-term deals. 

Chris Sale, LHPAge: 34

For the first decade of his MLB career, Chris Sale was one of the best pitchers in baseball. Sale’s 30.2% career strikeout rate entering 2019 was the highest of any pitcher with 1,000 or more innings before the age 30. While he has not won a Cy Young Award, he finished in the top five in Cy Young voting for six consecutive seasons.

Sale was showing signs of wear and tear coming out of 2018, as he struggled down the stretch with health during the Red Sox championship run that season. He was shutdown late in the 2019 season due to left elbow inflammation. Sale eventually had Tommy John surgery in 2020.

After Sale returned to a major league mound in late 2021 he’ s missed time with a right rib stress fracture, fractured fingers and a stress reaction in his left scapula. Over the last three seasons Sale has pitched just 151 total innings with an 11-7 record, a 3.90 ERA supported by a 3.60. xFIP. Despite the injuries, Sale’s fastball velocity has stayed fairly stable and he’s shown the ability to generate above-average strikeout rates when healthy. Sale provides the Braves with a second lefthander starter to slide into the No. 4 starter role behind the incumbent top of the rotation in Spencer Strider, Max Fried and Charlie Morton. Sale waived his no trade clause to authorize the move to the Braves. 

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Red Sox will send the Braves $17 million to cover all but $10.5 million of Sale’s $27.5 million salary. This is the final year of his current contract, although he has a $20 million team option for 2025 that vests automatically if he is not on the injured list at the end of the 2024 season and finishes in the top 10 in Cy Young voting.

Vaughn Grissom, 2B/SSAge: 22 

Grissom debuted for the Braves on Aug. 10, 2022 at 21 years old. He hit .291/.353/.440 over 41 games spanning the final two months of the season. After opening the season in Triple-A to begin 2023, Grissom was promoted back to the Braves active roster following an injury to Orlando Arcia. Grissom hit .277/.314/.308 during his full-in stint and struggled defensively at shortstop making six errors across 19 games. 

Grissom has hit in the minors at each of his appropriate age to level stops. In 2023 at age 22 Grissom hit .330/.419/.501 over 102 games with Gwinnett, a line that was 35% better than league average. Grissom is a bit of a tweener defensively but likely ends up at second base for the Red Sox long term. He’s a skilled hitter with above-average bat-to-ball ability and advanced approach. He’s hit for fringe-average home run totals but his underlying exit velocity data is solid average with strong expected outcomes. 

This move clears Grissom from being blocked. With Austin Riley, Arcia and Ozzie Albies established in the Braves infield, Grissom’s most likely role in Atlanta was going to be as a backup or part-time left fielder sharing time with Jarred Kelenic. Now he has a shot to be an everyday regular in Boston.

Defensively, Grissom has always been stretched at shortstop, which was his primary position in 2022 and 2023. His modest range is less of an issue at second base, which is where the Red Sox have a need now that Trevor Story has returned from Tommy John surgery.

Grissom has spent roughly half of one season on the major league roster, and as such will be under team control through the remainder of the 2020s.