Former Red Sox Ace Sidelined Until Mid-August: MLB Trade Deadline Impact?
If the Atlanta Braves want to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot, they will need to do so without the services of former Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale.
The team confirmed Tuesday Sale is out until mid-August at the earliest after moving him to the 60-day injured list.
Sale, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, fractured a left rib last month. At the time, it was thought Sale would miss six-to-eight weeks. By moving to the 60-day DL, the left-hander cannot be activated until August 19.
Before losing Sale, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos was adamant the southpaw was not on the trade market and that Atlanta wasn’t planning on holding a fire sale if they fall out of contention before the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
“It’s completely ridiculous to me. We are not selling, especially someone that has club control beyond the current year,” Anthopoulos said last month on 680 The Fan radio in Atlanta, Ga.
“Will not happen. I never make definitive statements unless I’m going to stick to them. Once you make definitive statements and then go back on them, you’re a liar and you’re done. Will. Not. Happen. Bold, italicize it, caps.”
“We’re built to win,” Anthopoulos continued. “Our expectations are to win. Our expectations are to go for it the entire time.”
However Anthonopoulos did leave himself some wiggle room. “(If) you get to the end of July, and things are completely changed, I guess we would reevaluate, but you’d have to be extreme,” the GM said.
The Braves (38-46) are in fourth place in the National League East, 11 1/2 games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta is seven games back in the NL Wild Card standings.
Sale, 36, claimed the pitching Triple Crown in 2024. He led the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225).
This year, he was in the mix for a second straight Cy Young Award until his rib injury. At the time he went down, Sale was 5-4 with a 2.52 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 89 1/3 innings pitched.