"This is a really good move for the Red Sox as well" - MLB analyst believes Vaughn Grissom's arrival can fortify Boston's defense
Baseball analysts on Tuesday's edition of "MLB Tonight" believe that the Boston Red Sox's acquisition of Vaughn Grissom for Chris Sale will be a great move for them. The Boston side will pay the Braves a total of $17 million for Sale this year as the pitcher enters the last year of his contract, but they acquired infielder Vaughn Grissom as part of the deal as well. This is believed by many analysts as a shrewd move for a youngster who showed a lot of promise during his time in the minors as well as the major leagues.
Chris Sale was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 2010 MLB draft and went on to make his major league debut for them in 2012, after two years in the minors. He soon became a part of the Chicago rotation and established himself as a reliable pitcher capable of mixing it up in the minors. After seven years with the White Sox, Sale was traded to the Red Sox after the 2016 season and went on to win the World Series with them in 2018. He has also made seven All-Star appearances and finished as the AL strikeout leader twice.
Sale signed a lucrative five-year, $125 million contract with the Red Sox in March 2019 but saw his time with them riddled with injuries. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 and returned to the mound only halfway through 2022. In 2023, he went 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 20 starts and 102 innings.
Sale has now been traded to the Braves, for whom he will cost only $500,000 for the year, while the Red Sox acquire 22-year-old infielder Vaughn Grissom. MLB analysts believe that it will prove to be a good move for the Boston side due to the potential of the youngster:
"This is a really good move for the Red Sox as well."
Red Sox need a starting pitcher after trading Chris Sale for Vaughn Grissom
While the Boston Red Sox front office and fans may be glad to see the last of Chris Sale after his disappointing time in Boston, they still need to round out their starting rotation soon. However, the arrival of Vaughn Grissom strengthens their infield and gives them more flexibility to trade an infield prospect for a pitcher. All eyes are on the Chicago White Sox's Dylan Cease as the best candidate to add to their starting rotation for the next MLB season.