The Atlanta Braves have acquired their splashy starting pitcher Chris Sale. We explore what the next move might be for Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves.
The Atlanta Braves made the big move that everyone has been waiting for this offseason. On December 30th, they sent Vaughn Grissom to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Chris Sale. The Red Sox also sent money to help pay the cost of his 2024 deal. Now that the rotation is four studs deep, we speculate on Alex Anthopoulos’ next move.
The Red Sox will pay $17 million of Sale’s $27.5 million salary next season. In terms of pure cost, it’s a fantastic deal for the Braves. Despite a significant injury history, getting a player of Chris Sale’s calibre for $10.5 million is an excellent deal. Former big stars Luis Severino ($13 million), Jack Flaherty ($14 million), and Frankie Montas ($16 million) have all dealt with injuries and troubles in recent years. If you omit the cost of losing Vaughn Grissom, they all cost more than what the Braves will pay for Chris Sale in 2024.
None of them players have the resume of seven-time All-Star (Sale). By the way, those seven All-Star selections were all consecutive. Yes, his injury history poses a concern, but from a cost standpoint, it’s a modest risk with a huge potential payoff for the Braves.
Vaughn Grissom’s player cost does leave a vacancy for the Braves. With the bat, Grissom provided decent outfield depth (glove unclear at this time). He might have also had a chance to play if Kelenic struggled right away. Grissom’s bat is no laughing matter.
The tradeoff is a no-brainer if Chris Sale is healthy and performs like Chris Sale in 2024. Even if he doesn’t, the risk is worth it. Adding a possible ace to the rotation, making it four-deep currently, is a far easier chore than acquiring a strong fourth outfielder.
David Fletcher has logged 164.2 major-league innings in the outfield and, I might say, performed very well. As one of the premier defensive players at one of the hardest positions to play, it’s no surprise Fletcher’s skills translated well to the outfield. Read more about how David Fletcher could overtake Orlando Arcia at shortstop in 2024.
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