Atlanta Braves: Five Moves to become Playoff Contenders

4. Avoid Trading for Chris Sale

Yes, you read that right. The Atlanta Braves should avoid trading for the most coveted trade chip this off-season. It’s nothing against Sale, it’s just at the stage the Braves are in they would be naive to give what the White Sox would request. The popular consensus seems to be that Sale can turn Atlanta around, the costs of obtaining him would far outweigh the reward.

In order to get Sale from Chicago, Atlanta would have to give an arm and a leg. While trading away some prospects is logical, the likely asking price for Sale would be through the roof. Atlanta could  afford it to, likely having to give up Sean Newcomb, Ender Inciarte, and Mallex Smith to name a few. Chicago is in complete rebuild mode it seems, and they are already notorious for asking for hefty returns in trades.

Instead of going all in on one ace, Atlanta should instead look to grab other quality arms that can fill out their rotation. Not only can they minimize the effect on their club long-term, they can develop more depth for less cost. They can likely pick up an arm like Brett Anderson, Jason Hammel, or Rich Hill for relatively cheap. Although the risk for injury is higher for these arms, this would allow them to make bigger moves on the trade market. Despite having a down year, Sonny Gray could be an option for the Braves. His value won’t be as high and his potential still has tremendous upside. Even Cy Young candidate Justin Verlander has been rumored to be on the market. Obviously, Atlanta doesn’t necessarily have to target these exact arms, but should look to bolster their depth behind Julio Teheran.