Atlanta was interested in Sale last year, and it was probably them who contacted the Red Sox this past offseason, and not the other way around. I agree that they don’t think there is any big surprise to the Braves that Sale is pitching this well in a Braves uniform. Maybe all Sale needed was to get away from that bad injury juju that seems to be hanging over Boston the past few years.
HR’s are flying out of the ballparks at great distances, and alarming rates mostly off Bailey’s philosophy of breaking balls, and off speed pitches, and that has been killing the Red Sox.
If the Red Sox had Eflin they wouldn’t need the pen as much. It looks like Brez didn’t help that horrible looking pen much either, so I agree with you on that.
The O’s picked up Eflin, and Brez picked up Paxton, and maybe Hill. The O’s were in the passing lane, and Brez was in the breakdown lane picking up hitchhikers.
All that really matters right now is how things have turned out, and I still don’t like the Red Sox paying Atlanta $17M for a suspect, and I bet JH doesn’t either. I’m not claiming hindsight at all , but just how things have turned out.