MLB trade regrade: Red Sox fumbled the bag with Chris Sale as All-Star start nears

Alex Anthopoulos has done it again. For better or worse -- this time the latter for Boston Red Sox fans -- the Atlanta Braves general manager is one of the best in baseball for a reason. The Braves acquired Sale this offseason as a reclamation project of sorts. Sale spent the last several years oft-injured for the Red Sox, unable to showcase the ace potential he once displayed on the mound every fifth day.

Sale will always be remembered fondly in Boston for what he achieved -- he made two All-Star Games and won the 2018 World Series before his body failed him -- but his resurgence in Atlanta could offer the final chapter to a storybook career.

After his six-inning, nine-strikeout performance on Wednesday night, Sale could be in line to start the NL All-Star Game, a feat few thought possible before the 2024 season. Sale and Reynaldo Lopez have proven to be sound additions to the Braves rotation, making up for the production lost when Spencer Strider went down with a season-ending elbow injury early in the campaign.

Regrading the Red Sox-Braves trade for Chris Sale

This trade was well-received from both fanbases at the time. Sale offered some much-needed rotation depth for the Braves, a team who finished with the best record in baseball in 2023 but ultimately fell short in the NL postseason to the Phillies, a team which boasted better top-level pitching. Grissom, meanwhile, is productive at the plate but didn't have a future in Atlanta, which features Ozzie Albies and Orlando Arcia at second base and shortstop, respectively. Arcia made the NL All-Star team in 2023 and is still viewed as the shortstop of the future in the Braves organization.

Unfortunately for Boston, they haven't gotten as much out of Grissom due to injuries, which is a sad twist of fate given they traded Sale for many of the same reasons. Grissom was slotted to be the Red Sox everyday second baseman in spring training, but an injury set him back. So far this season, Grissom has played in just 23 MLB games, slashing .148/.207/.160 without a single home run to his name. The Braves have thusly replaced Grissom in their farm system with hot-hitting prospect Nacho Alvarez, who could receive a big-league promotion later this season as well.

Sale, meanwhile, is a shoe-in for the NL All-Star team and an early Cy Young candidate. As previously mentioned, he could start the midsummer classic.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Sale said after Wednesday's start. “I’ve got a team already and I’m focused on that. If or when that happens, we can talk about it. But for now, we’re going to keep the train on the tracks.”

Both teams remain in postseason contention, with the Braves holding on to the first NL Wild Card spot. The Red Sox are a half game behind the Kansas City Royals for the third and final AL Wild Card spot, but figure to be buyers at this season's trade deadline.

Atlanta Braves trade grade: A+

Boston Red Sox trade grade: D