Another wrinkle from first Red Sox-Chris Sale trade emerges in Dodgers playoff run

The words "Chris Sale trade" hold a different meaning for Boston Red Sox fans now than they did in 2023.

Boston's 2023 trade involving Sale didn't go the way many expected. The veteran lefty became a lock for the National League Cy Young award after his season with the Braves, and Vaughn Grissom spent his year in the minor leagues after multiple injuries (and an illness) set him back.

But the Red Sox originally acquired Sale via trade with the White Sox in Dec. 2016. They shipped Yoán Moncada, Luis Alexander Basabe, Victor Diaz and Michael Kopech to Chicago in the deal. The initial trade worked out — the Red Sox got two great years out of Sale from 2017-18 — but Sale's extension did not go according to plan.

Meanwhile, Kopech has found himself with a new team after wasting away in Chicago. The flamethrower is thriving in the Dodgers' bullpen after a few seasons between the starting rotation and the 'pen with the White Sox.

Kopech posted rather average numbers during his five seasons with the White Sox — he missed the 2019 campaign due to injury and opted out during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He's clocked a 4.19 career ERA, and his numbers out of the rotation and the 'pen are quite similar. He's posted a 4.26 ERA over 60 starts and a 4.01 ERA after 110 appearances from the bullpen.

Former Red Sox pitcher Michael Kopech is thriving in the Dodgers bullpen

Kopech told Rob Bradford of the "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast that he was initially unhappy with his move from the rotation to the bullpen, but the realization that he can throw every pitch as hard as he can when he enters the game in the late innings has changed his career.

The righty wields a killer fastball, and the Dodgers organization urged him to throw it less when his tenure there began. Kopech improved his cutter, and his recent pitch mixing has helped him use his fastball when it's most effective, with great results. He's pitched to a 1.13 ERA and a 0.792 WHIP with six saves over 24 innings in the regular season, and he's allowed just one hit over five postseason appearances for LA.

The Red Sox have recently developed a similar mentality of encouraging pitchers to play to their strengths. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey generally discourages throwing four-seamers, but if hurlers can throw them with the same proficiency as Kopech, they should use their best weapon to their advantage.

Kopech was available at the trade deadline and the White Sox were desperate for capable talent. Boston needed bullpen reinforcements, and a reunion with its former prospect could've helped avoid one of the organization's worst late-season implosions in recent years. His stats with Chicago didn't show it, but Kopech had a deadly pitch in his arsenal that could've helped the Red Sox make their push for the Wild Card and he would've been better than all the other duds that were acquired by Craig Breslow.

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