Red Sox trade seven-time All-Star Chris Sale traded to Braves after injury-riddled tenure: report

It’s the end of an era for the Boston Red Sox.

The Sox have reportedly sent Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves after seven seasons with them.

Sale had a no-trade clause and waived it to head down to Georgia.

Since the left-hander arrived in Boston, it’s been a tenure of lots of injuries. He made 32 starts in his first season with the team, but he’s failed to reach 30 since.

He missed the entire 2020 season and then made just 11 starts in 2021 and 2022 combined.

Before his injuries, Sale was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the game. He was an All-Star in each season from 2012 to 2018 and landed inside of the top-six in Cy Young voting in each of those years, as well.

He spent his first seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox.

Sale even recorded the final out of the 2018 World Series, striking out Manny Machado to give the Red Sox their fourth World Series in a 14-year span beginning in 2004. 

In that span, he pitched to a 2.91 ERA, leading the American League in K/9 three times.

Sale’s 11.1 K/9 is the all-time record for starting pitchers.

But since 2018, Sale has had elbow inflammation, Tommy John surgery, a rib fracture, a broken finger and shoulder inflammation.

Sale inked a five-year, $145 million extension before the 2019 season. It kicked off in the 2020 season.

Atlanta will have the option to bring Sale back for 2025 on a $20 million salary.

If Sale can get healthy again, he’ll join an already-stacked rotation of Spencer Strider, Max Fried and Charlie Morton.

Sale posted a 4.30 ERA in 20 starts last year, while still striking out 11.0 batters per nine innings. The Braves are sending outfielder Vaugh Grissom to Boston. They are coming off a 104-win season in which they were bounced in the NLDS by the Philadelphia Phillies for the second year in a row.