Red Sox fumbled with Chris Sale on the sack as All-Star start approached

July 4, 2024

Alex Anthopoulos has done it again. For better or worse – this time for Boston Red Sox fans – the Atlanta Braves general manager is one of the best in baseball for a reason. The Braves signed Sale this offseason as a sort of remedial project. Sale has been injured a lot in recent years with the Red Sox and hasn’t been able to show the ace potential he once showed every five days on the mound.

Sale will always be remembered in Boston for his accomplishments – he played in two All-Star games and won the 2018 World Series before his body failed him – but his comeback in Atlanta could be the final chapter of a storybook career.

After his performance on Wednesday night, which included six innings and nine strikeouts, Sale could start in the NL All-Star Game, a feat few would have thought possible before the 2024 season. Sale and Reynaldo Lopez have proven to be solid additions to the Braves’ rotation, making up for the loss of performance when Spencer Strider was sidelined with a season-ending elbow injury earlier in the season.

That trade was well received by both fan bases at the time. The sale provided much-needed rotation depth to the Braves, a team that finished 2023 with the best record in baseball but ultimately fell short in the NL postseason to the Phillies, a team that boasted better pitchers at the highest level. Grissom, on the other hand, is productive at bat but had no future in Atlanta, where Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia play second base and shortstop, respectively. Arcia made the 2023 NL All-Star team and is still viewed as the shortstop of the future in the Braves organization.

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get as much out of Grissom due to injuries, which is a sad twist of fate since they traded Sale for many of the same reasons. Grissom was slated to be the Red Sox’s everyday second baseman in spring training, but an injury set him back. So far this season, Grissom has only played in 23 MLB games, hitting .148/.207/.160 without hitting a single home run. The Braves have therefore replaced Grissom in their farm system with promising hitter Nacho Alvarez, who could also make the major leagues later this season.

Sale, meanwhile, is a surefire candidate for the NL All-Star team and an early candidate for the Cy Young Award. As mentioned, he could start in the Midsummer Classic.

“We will cross that bridge when we get there,” said Sale after the start on Wednesday. “I already have a team and I’m focused on that. When that happens, we can talk about it. But for now, let’s leave the train on the tracks.”

Both teams are still in the race for the postseason, with the Braves holding the first NL Wild Card spot. The Red Sox are a half-game behind the Kansas City Royals in the battle for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, but are expected to be buyers at this season’s transfer deadline.