MLB Insider: How the Atlanta Braves made the best offseason move of 2024

When the Atlanta Braves sought rotation upgrades in the offseason, Chris Sale was a player of immediate interest. The Boston Red Sox had made the left-hander available and conversations between Craig Breslow and Alex Anthopoulos began early in the offseason.

Eventually, the Braves agreed to acquire Sale from the Red Sox in exchange for top infield prospect Vaughn Grissom. Atlanta immediately extended Sale on a two-year, $38 million contract, betting on a player who had been injured a fair amount in recent years.

The Braves could have easily acquired Sale and allowed him to walk after the 2024 season if he pitched poorly or missed time with injury. Had he pitched well, the team could have picked up a 2025 club option to keep Sale in Atlanta. But Anthopoulos and the Braves front office is notorious for doing early extensions on players they view as foundational pieces.

The move looks like a stroke of genius and, in trading for and extending Sale, the Braves appear to have pulled off the best move of the offseason.

Why the Braves acquiring Chris Sale was the best offseason move

In Atlanta, Sale has been absolutely brilliant. In nine starts, he has posted a 2.22 ERA and recorded a 70/8 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He is establishing himself as a dominant, frontline starting pitcher in his age-35 season and gives the Braves a natural replacement atop the rotation should Max Fried leave as a free agent after the 2024 season, as expected.

It’s what Atlanta envisioned when targeting Sale. In early spring, team officials and teammates were optimistic about what they had seen from Sale. But this resurgence and breakout has exceeded even the wildest expectations that anyone around the team could have had.

Grissom, meanwhile, has struggled mightily in Boston. In 53 plate appearances in the majors, he’s hitting a mediocre .135/.151/.154 with 11 strikeouts. He has shown that he can perform at the major-league level, hitting .287/.339/.407 with a .746 OPS in 64 games with the Braves, so it’s fair to expect a bounce back in performance. But the early returns on the trade could not be more opposite for the Braves and Red Sox.

The Braves will need Anthopoulos to work his magic in addressing the rotation at the trade deadline, especially after Spencer Strider’s season-ending injury. But considering Sale’s bounce back, and the success of moving Reynaldo Lopez from the bullpen to the rotation, Atlanta should be plenty optimistic about Anthopoulos’ ability to find and acquire talent.

After all, acquiring Sale was one of his biggest gambles. And so far, it’s paid off in a huge way – and is on the fast track toward being the best move of any team in the offseason.