The Atlanta Braves acquired seven-time All-Star Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox in a trade this past offseason. It was a notable deal that came with risk given Sale's injury history. When healthy, though, Sale is among the best pitchers in the sport.
And Sale is set to open the 2024 season healthy. The 34-year-old made his final start of spring training on Monday and revealed his mindset heading into his first year with Atlanta.
“When you get to the top of the mountain and you get knocked down, it’s a tough pill to swallow,” Sale said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I respect the game and appreciate the process a little bit more with where I’m at and with what I’m doing and with who I’m doing it with. This game doesn’t last forever.
“I’ve had the greatest moments in my life in this game, and I’ve had the worst moments in this game. Being able to balance that out, take it all in and respect that as a whole makes it more enjoyable when you can look at it through that lens.”
Sale later added that he is “strong” right now, which is obviously encouraging for the Braves. The decision to acquire a former star who was seemingly declining took some people around the MLB world by surprise, but Atlanta clearly believes in Sale.
Will Chris Sale get back on track with Braves?
Sale has not made an All-Star team since 2018. He played a pivotal role in the Red Sox's '18 World Series run, but has battled injuries and inconsistency since that campaign.
Sale's time with the Red Sox started on a high note. However, he does not consider it a success overall.
“In my mind, no. It (Sale's time in Boston) was not (a success) because of a couple reasons,” Sale said on Foul Territory in January when asked if his time with the Red Sox was a success. “I only had one full healthy season there. I was there for seven years… Again… the best years of my baseball career were in Boston. But also the worst years of my career were in Boston.
“If those worst years weren't, just to be completely honest, so f**king expensive… it's a gut-punch. It's not a fun thing that I'll be able to look back on and remember about my life.”
He's hoping for a more successful all-around Braves tenure. And that will begin by avoiding injuries, something he's accomplished with Atlanta so far. Of course, it's a long season so Sale will do everything he can to remain on the field.
Chris Sale has not made 25 or more starts in any season since 2019. Nevertheless, he still features the ability to dominate the competition when he's on his game.
Spring training statistics can be deceiving, but Sale pitched to a stellar 3.07 ERA across five outings. He added 23 strikeouts. So between staying healthy and performing well, it was a successful spring for Sale.
Now we will see if he can find similar results during the 2024 season with the Braves.
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