originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos had his phone lines buzzing in the final days of 2023, and while the rest of the league prepared for New Year's Eve 2024, Anthopoulos swung a trade for struggling former ace Chris Sale that would pay dividends for his Braves.
Sale pitched in 11 games combined over the course of 2021 and 2022, and pitched to a 4.30 ERA in 20 starts in 2023, which led to the Red Sox actually paying the Braves to get rid of him.
In exchange, the Sox got infield prospect Vaughn Grissom, who was ranked No.