Chris Sale discusses trade from Red Sox to Braves in new interview
When former Red Sox hurler Chris Sale was traded to the Atlanta Braves in December, it was the last thing many, including Sale, were expecting. The 34-year-old had spent the past seven seasons in a Red Sox uniform and was preparing to make his start on Opening Day.
"Zero," Sale told "Baseball Isn't Boring" host Rob Bradford when asked if he knew a trade was on the table. "Why would anybody want me at this point? No chance. No chance. I just had it in my mind I was going to be [in Boston]...That wasn't even in the realm of possibilities. That wasn't even a thought that crossed my mind. It was just that I needed to do what I needed to do to help my team."
Sale said there was a lot of anticipation and excitement after Craig Breslow was hired as Boston's new CBO. The two finally spoke for the first time after the holidays, and it came with Breslow notifying him that they had a trade lined up.
"It was a freaking knuckleball from left field," Sale said.
Sale had control over the situation due to his contract's no-trade clause, but he had a lot to consider when making a decision. The Braves were playoff contenders and full of young talent, while the Sox had been in the basement of the AL East three times in the last four years.
"It was important for me to stay here in Florida [during spring training]," Sale said. "The Braves, it's an hour longer drive, whatever. No big deal. Then you start thinking about what this team is, who they are, and what they've done and what they are probably going to do. It's kind of a one-of-one. I don't know if the Red Sox took that into consideration. I would assume they would have to."
Sale's career in Boston was riddled with injuries. After helping the team win the World Series in 2018, the starter would go on to throw only 298.1 innings from 2019-23. He missed the entire 2020 and part of the 2021 season due to Tommy John surgery, and in 2022, he made only two starts and was out for the season due to a broken wrist from a bike accident.
The 2023 season was the healthiest Sale had since 2017. He posted a 4.30 ERA and a 6-5 record through 20 starts with the Sox.
"Listen, I have said this to everybody, and I will say it to the day I die: The best days of my life were wearing the Red Sox uniform. The worst days of my life were also in that uniform," Sale said. "But everybody in that organization, front office, staff, players, coaches, anybody – they treated me the same when I was at the top and was below the bottom. I will always respect that, always have love for that, and I will always appreciate that. So I have nothing to say bad about anybody there."
Two months after his trade, the veteran seems to be settling in quite nicely. He finds himself with a playoff-contending team and in a starting rotation that includes Max Fried, Spencer Strider and Charlie Morton. Atlanta will head into 2024 looking to capture the NL East crown for the seventh consecutive season.
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