As the 2023 calendar year came to a close, the Atlanta Braves stunned the baseball world with a trade for starting pitcher Chris Sale. The once great all-star was a shell of his former self, but he was heading to Atlanta in exchange for prospect infielder Vaughn Grissom.
The deal quickly worked out for the Braves. Sale won his first Cy Young the year he arrived and has made back-to-back National League All-Star teams, Exercising his club option for 2026 was a no-brainer.
However, the Red Sox might be ready to move on from Vaughn. After spending the entire 2025 season with Triple-A Worcester, he is not expected to be on the team’s 40-man roster. Since he’s out of options, the alternative to having him on the active roster is to designate him for assignment.
A former trade piece is a trade candidate once again. If Grissom’s time in Boston is over, the Red Sox will have essentially paid for the Braves to take on Chris Sale, all to receive 31 games from an infielder in return.
In the end, Sale wasn’t working out in Boston. From their perspective, perhaps the whole thing is a wash any way. There is no guarantee that Sale re-emerges if he sticks around. One side just clearly one this trade.
Ideally, this would have been a win-win. No one is rooting for a player’s career to not work out. However, being on the winning end will feel good for the Braves. It feels better than being on the other end.
Perhaps on Thanksgiving, the Braves can say they are thankful for how this trade panned out. At the very least, this move will have netted them three seasons of a future Hall of Fame left-hander. If he sticks around even longer, than it’s a bonus.
While he’s still missed time due to injury, Sale’s presense have been invaluable to the Braves. He’s been an anchor in the rotation, while also providing veteran leadership in the clubhouse.
