Chris Sale: Being traded 'wasn't even a thought that crossed my mind'

The Atlanta Braves wanted to upgrade their rotation this offseason. But HOW to go about that was an open question. 

After seeing Aaron Nola reportedly turn down more money annually to return to the Philadelphia Phillies and being unable to reach a reasonable price with the Chicago White Sox GM Chris Gaetz on Dylan Cease, Atlanta zagged and reached out to the Boston Red Sox. 

And it turns out, no one - even Chris Sale, who was Atlanta's target - saw that coming. 

Sale, speaking on the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast, admitted that he had no idea that he could have gotten traded out of Boston this offseason. 

Being dealt "wasn't even in the realm of possibilities" that crossed his mind, admitted the veteran that's dealt with various injury concerns over the last few seasons. "Why would anyone want me at this point? No chance."

Sale continued, admitting that he "had it in my mind I was going to be (in Boston) [...] That wasn't even a thought that crossed my mind."    

Sale hadn't even met new Red Sox general manager Craig Breslow at that point in the offseason, and when they finally got done "playing phone tag" and got each other on the phone, their introductory conversation was about the trade and Sale's ability to block it. 

"The first time we actually connected on the phone was him saying 'well this is kinda weird, first time speaking, (but) we got a trade lined up for you.'" 

Sale, as a tenured veteran, had earned what are known as "10-5 Rights" by the end of the 2022 season, giving him the ability to veto any trade he was involved in. 

(10-5 rights are earned by spending ten years in the major leagues and at least five with your current organization. No current Braves player have them, although several stand to earn them by the end of their current contracts.)

And just getting that phone call was unexpected for Sale, who had already been announced as the club's Opening Day starter for 2024...back in late September.

"It was a fricking knuckleball from left field" admitted Sale, mixing several metaphors to get his point across. 

But Sale took some time to discuss the potential trade with his family and his agent,  approving the move less than 24 hours later. Sale cited Atlanta's spring training home of North Port and its proximity to his Central Florida home as a major factor. 

"I can still live my life while being part of this team in spring training. That was probably the most important thing. One hundred percent. My kids play sports. They’ve got school stuff going on. [...] But on the flip-side of that, let’s be honest: Where I’m at in my career and in my life, I can’t go out to Arizona for spring training. That’s too far away."

Boston's spring training home is in Ft. Myers, which was actually closer to Sale's offseason residence than North Port, indicating that it's possible Boston had several potential trades lined up, some of which would have sent Sale to a team located further west that played in the Cactus League for spring training.  

And as hard as it was for Sale to leave Boston - "I had some very, very, very (expletive) rough conversations just calling to say goodbye because they were there for me" - he's excited for the opportunity to join an organization like the Braves. 

"But on the flip-side of that, you flip the coin and you look at this opportunity, coming into a young team full of excitement and freakishly talented. Look around this place, it’s unbelievable."

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