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Chris Sale explains why he approved trade from Red Sox
"I felt like I kind of owed them something because the last few years haven’t quite lived up to what I wanted."
The Red Sox put the ball in Chris Sale’s court when it came to his future in 2024 and beyond.
While Craig Breslow and Boston’s top brass tested the waters to see what the southpaw could command in a trade, any deal needed approval from Sale himself.
But when the Red Sox approached Sale about a potential trade to a top contender in the Atlanta Braves, the former ace gave the green light.
Sale, who inked a two-year, $38 million extension with Atlanta on Thursday, was asked during his introductory Zoom call with the Braves about why he decided to waive his no-trade clause and leave Boston.
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“There were obviously a lot of factors on this,” Sale said. “Again, I had to kind of work quick. The biggest thing for me was, I wanted to put myself and my family in a good situation. That meant not a whole lot of other places to go. I wanted to be in Florida for spring training and I wanted to play for a team that’s good. Atlanta’s had an unbelievable run; they have one of the best teams in baseball and I was excited to join them and do that.
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“Leaving Boston wasn’t easy. I’ve been there for a long time. It was a second home to me. My family loved it, my kids loved it and [Boston] treated my family the best. It was great. But at the same time, I felt like I went through some really tough times there and they always had my back. I felt like this was an opportunity to put me in a situation to help myself and put [the Red Sox] in a situation to help them, too. I felt like I kind of owed them something because the last few years haven’t quite lived up to what I wanted to be there. It was in favor to both parties.”
Sale played with the Red Sox for seven seasons, helping Boston win a World Series title in 2018.
But a majority of his tenure with the Red Sox was marred by injury. From 2019-23, Sale only logged 298.1 innings with Boston. He missed the entire 2020 season due to Tommy John surgery — while landing on the shelf several other times due to a myriad of freak accidents and other ailments.
The 2023 season was the healthiest that Sale has been in years, but the lefty was still limited to 20 starts with the Red Sox. He went 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA.
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Boston ultimately opted to move on from Sale after finding a trade partner in Atlanta, with the Red Sox acquiring infielder Vaughn Grissom in return for the starter.
“Ups and downs, man. Life,” Sale said of his tenure with Boston. “Best days of my life were there. Worst days of my life were there. But the people — it’s my teammates, it’s the front office, it’s the training staff. Everybody there. All those guys had my back. I’m forever grateful for that. And I’m forever indebted to them.”
The Red Sox’ decision to sign Sale to a five-year, $145 million in 2019 ultimately devolved into a disaster for Boston. Still, Sale credited the Red Sox organization for harboring no ill will, even when he wasn’t able to deliver results on the mound.
“They made a big commitment to me and I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain and they were always great to me,” Sale said. “They always treated me with respect. They always made me feel loved. They always made me feel wanted. Anything I ever wanted or needed, anything my family ever wanted or needed, they were there for me. Always.
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“Through and through. So I appreciate that. To categorize it any one way, there’s not really a word I’d put on it. But I’ll never forget the people that I met there, the relationships I had and that 2018 season where we lifted up that trophy as World Champions.”
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