With the Atlanta Braves six games below .500 and rapidly falling out of contention in the NL East, trade speculation is beginning to ramp up. No name is more fascinating in that respect than Chris Sale, whose contract expires after the season — with an $18 million club option for 2026.
Now, Atlanta has enough talent to turn this season around. It's way too early to close the book on the 2025 Braves. Sale is also more than good enough to merit a club option for next season, so the Braves aren't necessarily at risk of losing him for nothing.
If Atlanta decides to hit the reset button and pivot toward the future, however, cashing in on the reigning NL Cy Young in his age-37 campaign is not the worst idea. There's merit to it, even if it feels distinctly unlike Alex Anthopoulos to trade out of a major contributor midway through a season.
Let's say that Sale does end up on the trade block. You know a lot of contenders will throw their hat in the ring. He's back on the Cy Young track, boasting an impressive 2.93 ERA and 1.24 WHIP through 12 starts. He's still missing bats (96 strikeouts in 73.2 innings) and he's trending up, not down, with a 1.44 ERA over his last eight starts. Age be damned, Sale still packs elite stuff on the mound.
Here are a few teams with the motivation and the assets necessary to pique Atlanta's interest.
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Chris Sale can give the Detroit Tigers an infallible rotation
The Detroit Tigers are equipped with the best pitching staff in the American League, but the first-place Tigs ought to consider a big swing. We don't traditionally associate Detroit with bold financial gambits, but this was a finalist for Alex Bregman in free agency a few short months ago. The Tigers are in a position to contend for a World Series for the first time in more than a decade. Now is the time to swing for the fences.
Tarik Skubal's uncertain future only adds fuel to the fire, as Detroit's window only extends for as long as Skubal leads the rotation. If the Tigers expect to start fielding Skubal trade calls next offseason, well, adding Sale — and locking in that club option for 2026 — at least gives Detroit short-term comfort. In the immediate future, he gives the Tigers arguably the two best left-handed aces in baseball, along with a cadre of up-and-comers in Reese Olson, Keider Montero and Jackson Jobe to flesh out the rotation (and, given their depth, potentially supplement the bullpen).
Detroit's offense has exceeded all reasonable preseason expectations. If the Tigers can hit teams with Skubal and Sale out of the gate in the playoffs, then it becomes hard to pick against them, even with more star-laden teams like New York and Houston dominating the discourse cycle.
A.J. Hinch is the best in-game manager in MLB. The pitching staff is beyond compare. Their farm system? Ranked No. 1 overall, with hitting prospects like Kevin McGonigle, Bryce Rainer and Hao-Yu Lee who could appeal greatly to this Braves squad. All the pieces are in place to make the most of a Chris Sale tenure in Motown.
Chris Sale can push the Chicago Cubs into World Series territory
We know the Chicago Cubs want a rotation upgrade — bad. It seems like Jed Hoyer is willing to operate with an aggression we rarely see from him and the conservative Cubs brass. The Kyle Tucker trade pushed the Cubs into a new stratosphere of contention. It also put them on the clock, as keeping Tucker in free agency is by no means a guarantee.
With Shota Imanaga toiling on the IL and Justin Steele out for the season with a UCL injury, the time is now for Chicago to pony up for a true frontline ace. The Cubs' farm system ranks among the very best in baseball, with a collection of prospects like Kevin Alcantara, Jefferson Rojas and Owen Cassie who address both immediate and long-term needs in Atlanta.
One can question whether or not the Braves want to send Sale to another National League team, but trading Sale is tantamount to admitting defeat on the season and kicking the can down the road. Chicago can restock a mediocre Braves pipeline and give Atlanta something to look forward to. Sale, meanwhile, gives Criag Counsell is long-awaited ace and allows Chicago to put all its effort into scaling the mountaintop this season, with Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong both producing MVP numbers offensively.
Like it or not, the Los Angeles Dodgers would totally call about Chris Sale
It never stops. The Los Angeles Dodgers boast the highest payroll in MLB and seemingly unlimited spending power. We've already heard reports of potential interest in Kyle Tucker as a free agent. If the Dodgers can afford to throw around the idea of spending another half-mil on Tucker, then giving Sale $18 million next season is easily done.
Los Angeles' pitching staff is deep on paper, but injuries have kept Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Rōki Sasaki (among others) out of commission. This is as explosive a lineup as you'll find in MLB, but the Dodgers' rotation is a real weakness right now. A shorter-term investment makes sense as the front office navigates a swell of injuries. Sale... well, if he's there for the taking, we can expect L.A. to discuss the matter internally.
Somehow, on top of being absolutely loaded with veteran stars, the Dodgers have a top-10 farm system, with outfielders (Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula) and infielders (Alex Freeland, Emil Morales) who could take quick purchase in the Braves' pipeline. Los Angeles also has a few intriguing young pitchers to throw Atlanta's way, whether it's Bobby Miller or a top-10 prospect like River Ryan.
It's hard to fathom the Dodgers adding another Cy Young, MVP-type talent to this roster, but it's how the Dodgers operate. They don't let the rest of the league get a moment's rest. Atlanta probably winces at the thought of shipping Sale to L.A., but if the win-now Dodgers come on strong with the best offer, Alex Anthopoulos will need to consider it.