MLB rumors: Braves preferred one major risk over another in trade market

The Atlanta Braves made a huge splash recently by trading for seven-time All-Star starting pitcher Chris Sale. When Sale is on, he can be virtually unhittable. However, injuries have derailed his hall-of-fame-level career trajectory just a bit. Thus, it was a bit of a gamble to deal for him. However, it seems as though Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos opted to go for this risky option over another.

Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports revealed why Anthopoulos ended up dealing for Sale in his latest column, as well as why he did not pursue another similarly graded pitcher in Tyler Glasnow, who was from the Tampa Bay Rays to the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. The thought in adding Sale was to get a fiery competitor in exchange for a promising player in Vaughn Grissom, who was position-less.

Atlanta was able to upgrade its roster without having to give up the farm to do so. This is why Anthopoulos opted to not do business with Tampa Bay this offseason. The Rays would have wanted far more than just Grissom in exchange for Glasnow. Nightengale mentions Atlanta's great success since adding Glasnow's former Tampa Bay teammate Charlie Morton ahead of the 2021 MLB season.

It was also revealed that Atlanta was simply outbid for Philadelphia Phillies starter Aaron Nola as well.

Why Atlanta Braves opted to take a big gamble on trading for Chris Sale

Health, and age to some degree, are the two things working against Sale. Glasnow has had trouble staying healthy of late, but he is much younger than the former Boston Red Sox left-hander. However, the upside to a guy like Sale might be worth it. Anthopoulos sees Sale as a veteran big-game pitcher who could be a valuable resource to young starting pitchers such as Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder.

Upon acquiring Sale from the Red Sox, he signed a two-year deal worth $38 million and an $18 million team option for 2026. To make the deal even sweeter, Boston sent $17 million to Atlanta with Sale in exchange for Grissom. If you do the math, the Braves got two years of Sale for $21 million. All they had to do was send Grissom to Boston. Keep in mind that he did not have a position on the roster.

Ultimately, you should expect these sorts of deals out of Anthopoulos going forward. He is not going to put the Braves in a bad position financially to compete for championships. Every move he has made has been premeditated, methodical and calculated. Even if Sale struggles to stay on the field, Atlanta still has depth in its rotation, as well as coveted prospects like AJ Smith-Shawver at Triple-A.

The more and more you look into it, the more and more you have to like the Sale trade for the Braves.