It took about a month, but Chris Sale is back to being a hall-of-fame pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. Last year's NL Triple Crown winner has been thoroughly dominant in his last several starts. He has gone at least six innings in each of his last five, allowing a combined three earned runs. Atlanta is only 3-2 on those five starts, but Sale looks like a pitcher well on his way to yet another All-Star Game.
On the year, he is 5-4 with a 2.52 ERA in 15 games. Over the course of 89.1 innings, Sale has struck out 114 batters, including getting to an incredibly impressive 2,500 in his MLB career. While his WHIP is a tad higher than his career average of 1.049, keep in mind how much he struggled on the mound in the first month of the season. All signs point to him staying with the Braves, but they must play better.
Atlanta enters Thursday night's home game with the rival New York Mets at 33-39 on the season. They have won six of their last 10, including the first two in the home series vs. the Mets. Still, they are 11 games back of the Mets in the NL East race, and 10 games back of second-place Philadelphia. Atlanta may still have a shot at an NL Wild Card berth, but the Braves have to get well over .500 soon.
Alex Anthopoulos has said he is not trading Sale this summer, but should he have a change of heart?
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Why Chris Sale's trade market might be too good to pass up for Atlanta
Look. I do not think the Braves are going to trade Sale this summer. He is pitching out of his mind of late. More importantly, he is under contract for the rest of this season at $22 million with a club option for 2026. The Braves are obviously going to pick that up if he is not dealt at the deadline. The other key component is he is one of the team's most undeniable competitors. He is huge for this staff, too.
Sale may not pitch for the Braves beyond the 2026 MLB season should his club option get picked up. We know what Anthopoulos is all about. That is paying young players who have not earned their salary that which should be going to hall-of-fame-level veterans. Since I do not want to blow a gasket today, I will keep this thing on the rails as best as I can. Why would Anthopoulos change his stance?
Can the Braves make necessary improvements to keep Chris Sale?
Sale may not be available right now, but a lot can change between now and the next few weeks. If he continues to shine and the team continues to struggle, Anthopoulos may be left with no choice. The expectation is that high-end starting pitcher is not going to be readily available at the trade deadline. I understand that Sale is kicking tail for the team he grew up rooting for now, but does he want a ring?
Maybe the Braves turn it around in the coming weeks, months or years? What I do know is Sale is a big-game pitcher who could fetch the Braves a boatload of prospects for two months of service, plus a club option should that get picked up. Again, prospects do nothing for me, so I would hate the idea of Atlanta trading sale with another year of him potentially under contract. It would take a huge offer.
I sincerely doubt Anthopoulos will be presented a Godfather offer for Sale ahead of the MLB deadline.