The Atlanta Braves acquired seven-time All-Star Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox in a trade this past offseason

According to Sale, “It’s a hard pill to swallow when you reach the top of the mountain and you get knocked down,” according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “With where I am, what I’m doing, and who I’m doing it with, I respect the game and value the process a little bit more. This is not a permanent game.

This game contains both the best and worst times I’ve ever experienced in my life. When you can view things from that perspective, it becomes more fun to be able to balance things out, take everything in, and respect it as a whole.

Sale went on to say that he is “strong” at the moment, which is great news for the Braves.

Sale had a great start to his Red Sox career. But all in all, he doesn’t think it’s a success.

“Not in my opinion. When asked if his time with the Red Sox was a success, Sale responded on Foul Territory in January, “It (Sale’s time in Boston) was not (a success) because of a couple reasons.” There was only one season that I was healthy. I spent seven years there. Once more, my greatest baseball years were spent in Boston. However, my worst professional years were also spent in Boston.

“If those worst years weren’t so f**king expensive, to be perfectly honest… It’s a punch to the gut. That won’t be anything I enjoy thinking back on and recalling.