Boston columnist is in denial Alex Anthopoulos fleeced Red Sox in Chris Sale trade

Regardless of what happens on the diamond Wednesday, the early returns so far this season only indicate that the Atlanta Braves won the Chris Sale trade with the Boston Red Sox. On the season, Sale has returned to form with a 4-1 record in six starts with a 3.44 ERA, an 0.955 WHIP and 42 strikeouts. The guy he was traded for in infielder Vaughn Grissom has just started playing in Boston.

However, that did not stop one Boston columnist from dying on Bunker Hill in real time over how no matter what Sale does in Atlanta, the Red Sox will have absolutely won this trade, forever gonig forward. Give me a break... I was born at night, but not last night. While I understand the spin John Tomase is trying to do with a frustrating player in Red Sox lore, you must remove your incredible bias.

I will give Tomase credit, in that Sale will thrive in his role as a luxury item in the Atlanta rotation. He was picked up to be the Braves' No. 4 starter, but has been moved up to the No. 3 spot with the Spencer Strider injury. If I did the math right, Atlanta basically gave up a decent minor league bat with a porous glove in exchange for a borderline hall-of-fame pitcher who can thrive in a playoff rotation.

That article was more about Chaim Bloom disdain than Craig Breslow actually moving on from Sale.

Boston columnist in vehement denial about losing the Chris Sale trade

I think Atlanta knows what they are getting in Sale. They are getting two years' worth of starts, mostly on the Red Sox's dime. The Lakeland, Florida native grew up a massive Braves fans. This is a dream come true for him. Braves Country knows its stuff, understanding fully what Sale is: A luxury item in the rotation. He is not anchoring it, merely playing a role in an ensemble cast in hopes of a pennant.

Is Grissom a fun player? He can be. He is a very likable guy, and I will give him that. However, Anthopoulos broke up The Troublemakers because he had a championship to win. He didn't have time to figure out what to do with Grissom's glove. Grissom was supposed to be the guy to replace Dansby Swanson at short. It ended up being Orlando Arcia. Braves Country has never looked back.

Essentially, the idea of Grissom is bigger than the real thing. He needed to go to a team that would afford him regular starting time. This is why the Braves and Red Sox were great trade partners. Atlanta is in win-now mode, while Boston is rebuilding. I get that Tomase wanted Bloom to have the stones to trade Sale earlier than his successor did, but this is what happens when you have a terrible architect.

Atlanta may not win the World Series this season, but the Braves are still going to win the Sale trade.