Chris Sale Reveals ‘Most Important’ Aspect Of Red Sox Trade Decision

When the Boston Red Sox traded ace Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for top infield prospect Vaughn Grissom, the seven-time All-Star admitted he signed off on the move because of his family.

Appearing on Audacy’s “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast with Rob Bradford, Sale explained what factored into his decision.

“I get off the phone with (the Red Sox) and was like, ‘Thanks, appreciate the call.’ Then the work starts,” Sale told Bradford. “I talked to my wife. I talked to my kids. I called my dad. I called my agent. Just trying to figure out what the deal is and what’s going to work. Just logistical stuff.

“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. I can still pick up my kids from school. I have not missed a practice. I have not missed a game. 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.”

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Sale continued to explain how important it was for him to be present in his children’s lives.

“My kids play sports. They’ve got school stuff going on. Being able to be there for that, having that for so long,” Sale said. “I did that for seven years, even in the offseason. I would drive up to JetBlue Park every day, and I would be home at noon. It was important for me to stay here in Florida. The Braves, it’s an hour longer drive, whatever. No big deal.

“Then you start thinking about what this team is, who they are and, what they’ve done, and what they are probably going to do. It’s kind of a one-of-one. I don’t know if the Red Sox took that into consideration. I would assume they would have to.”

From there, the decision was easy.

“The next day, at 10 or 11 o’clock in the morning, that was it. I mean, it’s a yes or no question. We don’t need to draw it out for a week.”

Sale signed a two-year extension with the Braves five days after the trade, allowing the 2018 World Series champion to call Atlanta home for at least the next three seasons.