The Chris Sale trade might go down as the best trade in Atlanta Braves history. Alex Anthopoulos took a gamble on the oft-injured veteran a couple of offseasons ago, sending — at the time — a highly regarded young infielder in Vaughn Grissom to Boston in return.
Since then, Sale has mostly avoided the injury bug, logging over 300 innings across two seasons with a 2.46 ERA, 2.33 FIP, and 11.6 K/9 — earning his first Cy Young Award last year. Meanwhile, Grissom has struggled to find his footing with the Red Sox.
He appeared in just 31 major-league games in 2024, batting .190 with a .495 OPS, and didn’t play a single MLB game this season, spending the entire year in Triple-A Worcester. His minor-league numbers were respectable — .270 with 13 homers and a .793 OPS — but it’s impossible to ignore how one-sided this trade has become for the Braves. And that’s before even acknowledging that Boston sent $17 million to cover nearly all of Sale’s 2024 salary.
The Red Sox literally paid Chris Sale to win a Cy Young for another team, and the player they received in return is already on the roster bubble, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive.
“Grissom’s situation is the most interesting considering Boston acquired him from Atlanta for Chris Sale and considered him a long-term option at second base less than a year and a half ago.
But he has fallen out of favor since then because of injuries and lack of production. He spent all of 2025 at Triple-A Worcester and he even admitted in July that he ‘doesn’t expect much more opportunity’ with the Red Sox.
It’s doubtful that he will be on the 40-man roster come spring training.
He and Morán are certainly candidates to be designated for assignment when the Red Sox add players this offseason. If Grissom is DFA’d and clears waivers, he would remain in the organization as a minor leaguer.”
It’s always fun to look back when a gamble pays off this massively, but Grissom is still a name worth watching if Boston decides to DFA him. Anthopoulos knows him well, he’s only 25, and the Braves still need infield depth even after acquiring Mauricio Dubon. A reunion isn’t out of the question if Grissom hits waivers.
—
Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire