The Atlanta Braves showed signs of life, but the 2021 World Series Champions still have their work cut out for them. With the postseason looking unlikely for 2025, Atlanta finds itself in a tricky situation at the trade deadline. With talent such as Chris Sale, the team has quite a decision ahead of them.
Braves GM Considering Trading Chris Sale
A 12-game gap between fourth and first place isn’t insurmountable, but the Braves are clearly nowhere near the level of the New York Mets. Even the Philadelphia Phillies trail the Mets by two and a half games, and the difference in talent between the Phillies and Braves is glaring. The Braves are almost closer to last place than they are third, which is saying something, as this team did not expect to be in this position.
Chris Sale joins Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw as the only active pitchers with 2,500 Ks! pic.twitter.com/yrjiWP3CJD
— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2025
Chris Sale is currently 3-4 with a 2.93 ERA. The 36-year-old has an $18 million club option for 2026, one the team was likely to pick up prior to this season. Now, everyone in the organization is trying to figure out what moves to make in order to get Atlanta back into the postseason race.
Alex Anthopoulos has made it clear that Sale will not be traded unless the Braves are truly out of the running. At this point in the season, it’s hard to see the 27-35 Braves competing for anything other than maybe third place in the division. Their ceiling is far from what it was, even with Sale putting in dominant efforts on the mound.
The 2024 Cy Young winner won a World Series himself, back in 2018 with the Boston Red Sox. Last year was a career season for Sale as he won the Triple Crown, a Gold Glove, was named to the All-MLB first team, and was the NL Comeback Player of the Year. It’s clear that age is just a number for Sale, and the lefty has a lot left in the tank
If the Braves were to trade Sale, they would need something significant in return. A prospect haul would be ideal, but this is a team that doesn’t want to have to endure a multi-year rebuild. After winning it all just a few seasons ago, Anthopoulos and crew are going to do everything in their power to get back to that level as soon as possible.
While Braves fans would hate to see Sale go, he’s the best trade piece they have to offer. Most of their sluggers on offense are having down years, with not many teams wanting to pick up a massive contract. Atlanta isn’t out of it yet, but trading away Sale would be the ultimate waving of the white flag.