Red Sox pull a surprise, trade ace lefty Chris Sale to the Braves
correction
A previous version of this article incorrectly said Vaughn Grissom is the son of Marquis Grissom. They are not related.
Boston and Atlanta orchestrated the first trade surprise of this baseball offseason when the Red Sox dealt oft-injured ace Chris Sale to the Braves for infield prospect Vaughn Grissom.
Sale, 34, was an all-star in seven consecutive seasons before injuries limited him to no more than 102⅔ innings in the past three seasons. When he was healthy, the lefty was one of the more intimidating southpaws of his generation. He led the American League in strikeouts twice, and his 11.1 strikeouts per nine is the highest among active starters. He has one more year and a vesting option on his deal, which owes him $27.5 million next year and $20 million if Atlanta exercises the option for 2025.
