Chris Sale has brutally honest comments about his tenure with Red Sox

It's been a couple of weeks since the Red Sox shipped off Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for talented infielder Vaughn Grissom, ending his tumultuous tenure in Boston.

Sale recently made a stop on the "Foul Territory" podcast to discuss the recent trade and how he felt about his time with the BoSox. The seven-time All-Star obliged and didn't hold anything back.

Sale was acquired in a big trade with the White Sox after the 2016 season and ended up putting up a 29-12 record in the 2017 and 2018 seasons with a 2.58 ERA in 59 starts for the Red Sox. Boston rewarded him after the 2018 season with a five-year extension worth $145 million. He made just 56 starts for the Red Sox over the next five seasons as he was plagued by injuries. That included getting Tommy John surgery in 2020.

He spoke about his excitement once he was presented with a new opportunity in Atlanta and that the trade happened rather quickly. However, he thought the move was a beneficial one for himself and the Red Sox.

That's what led to Boston cutting ties with Sale, but he did mention how much he appreciated his tenure with the Red Sox. However, he didn't offer any excuses about how horribly it went.

Chris Sale critical of his time with Red Sox in recent interview

In typical Chris Sale fashion, he was incredibly transparent and honest about the experience. Sale's former teammate A.J. Pierzynski asked him if he would consider his time with Boston a success.

In my mind, no, it was not a success, because of a couple of reasons. I only had one full healthy season there. I was there for seven years. I only pitched tip-to-tip one time, in 2017, and that was actually the best year of my career from a stat standpoint. 2018 was probably close to, if not, the second-best year of my career. I missed some time but had a great year, and we did end up winning the World Series.

That's a pretty fair assessment and par for the course when it comes to Sale and his honesty. He knows he didn't live up to the expectations many fans had for him and regrets not being able to perform better.

The best years of my baseball career were in Boston, but also the worst years of my career were in Boston.

It isn't surprising Sale would be open about his rough tenure in Boston as he's just that kind of guy. He's going to be honest even if the truth hurts.

Sale even mentioned on a Zoom call with Braves and Red Sox reporters that he was grateful to the Red Sox organization for having his back. He mentioned specifically his teammates, the front office, and training staff when speaking about that.

It all boiled down to the Red Sox believing in him and offering a major contract, but he didn't hold up his end of the bargain, which led to where we are today with Sale in Atlanta.

Sale will now get the opportunity to have a normal offseason routine and start the season as prepared as possible. While it's a bitter end to his Red Sox tenure, Sale will have the chance to end his career on a positive note.

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