It was a low-risk/high-reward proposition for the Atlanta Braves, with the Boston Red Sox assuming nearly all the risk. Yes, Chris Sale had not been the same player for Boston since being a vibrant part of their 2018 World Series Championship roster, but the Red Sox did not have to set up the Braves quite like this. Boston took on much of Sale’s salary in exchange for middle infielder Vaughn Grissom.

With arguably the best trade Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has made to date, let’s briefly reflect on what happened a year ago. Boston wanted to get out of the Chris Sale business, while Atlanta came to terms that Vaughn Grissom was never going to be an every-day player for them. Ozzie Albies had second base locked down and Grissom proved to be too much of a liability at short.

Atlanta initially struck gold by going with Orlando Arcia at shortstop in 2023. He did start for the NL All-Star Team that year. While Arcia later regressed to the mean last year, he was still a far more impactful player than Grissom was at any point of his first year with Boston. All the while, Sale went on to have the best season of his MLB career, winning the NL Triple Crown and his first Cy Young award.

Last season is probably going to be what eventually gets Sale into Cooperstown. Who saw it coming?

Lopsided deals happen all the time in professional sports, but this one stings mightily for Boston.

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For Atlanta, the Braves will look to build its rotation around Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach as Spencer Strider works his way back from a season-ending UCL injury. Max Fried now pitches for the New York Yankees, while it remains to be seen if Charlie Morton ever pitches again. Anthopoulos has been quiet, too quiet, this offseason. Maybe he is up to something yet again?

As for Boston, the Red Sox largely overachieved a season ago. They were expected to be dog water, but ended up being the low-key kind of Dirty Water the city and fanbase rally behind. Boston was not quite a postseason team, but a pitcher like Sale could have made all the difference. He was the reason why a broken-down Braves team eventually eked its way into the playoffs after a down year.

While Grissom is still youthful to some extent, his glove may never get there. He has to play second base, or potentially left field, at the big-league level to have any possible staying power. His bat and likable demeanor helped get him to the big leagues, but his glove and his right-handedness may eventually cut short what was once thought to be a promising career. Boston must be kicking itself.

The Red Sox had every reason to move on from Sale, but they look so foolish for what they received.