Alex Anthopoulos ran circles around Craig Breslow, Red Sox in Chris Sale trade

The Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox completed a key trade over the weekend. After Boston had signed Lucas Giolito to a two-year deal, they sent left-hander Chris Sale to the Braves for utilityman Vaughn Grissom.

Obviously, the deal comes with plenty of risks, as explained by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Sale has dealt with numerous injuries over the past several years. The man who was meant to be Boston's ace has seemingly bottomed out.

It's also important to note what the Braves are giving up. Grissom has power and the ability to play multiple positions.

And so, on the surface, this deal may look a little bit better from the Red Sox perspective. But you have to look closer. Rosenthal explains a major caveat of this deal.

Braves fleece Red Sox in Sale trade

Sale was set to make $27.5 million this season. He signed a contract extension with the Red Sox in 2019 and is set to enter free agency at the end of the 2024 season. That is, unless his vesting option for 2025 kicks in.

For that to happen, the Braves would need him to return to his old form and remain healthy. Either way, Atlanta is taking a flyer on the veteran left-hander. The Red Sox are still paying the vast majority of his salary, which leaves the Braves only having to pay the former ace $500,000 in 2024. That's significantly less than the league minimum of $720,000.

If a change of scenery ultimately helps Sale, then the Braves rotation will project as one of baseball's best this season, and the Braves won't be breaking the bank since they are paying less of his salary than the Red Sox are. Meanwhile, while Boston is still on the hook for the rest of his salary, they still need more starting pitching, and their rotation got a little thinner thanks to this trade.

Sale posted a 29.4 percent strikeout rate in 2023, so he does still have some upside. And even if things don't work out, the Braves have plenty of starting pitching depth in their system that could help them in 2025.

As for the Red Sox, they may have to add their next starting pitcher via trade, as Sale's salary still makes up a good chunk of their payroll. It isn't simply a salary dump for Boston. They aren't taking a bad contract off of their hands.

Instead, they're paying most of it after his departure, which could inhibit their ability to sign players.