The New York Yankees are one of the top teams in the MLB and will be aggressive ahead of the trade deadline.
MLB analyst Jake Elman of AthlonSports urged the Yankees to make a blockbuster trade for Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves.
“The Yankees, or any team interested in Sale, likely won’t be able to get him for cheap,” Elman wrote. “Although he only has an $18 million club option remaining after this season, Sale is pitching better at 36 than he did at 30. It wouldn’t make sense for the Braves to trade him for nothing.
“It’d be hard to blame the Braves if they asked for top outfield prospect Spencer Jones in a potential Sale trade, especially if he continues pitching so efficiently,” Elman added. “Either way, a playoff rotation featuring Sale, Fried, and Rodón sounds pretty good to us. Judge and the offense would just need to do their part, and history shows that’s not always the case when the calendar turns to October.”
Sale would be a blockbuster addition for the Yankees and would strengthen their rotation for a playoff push. He won the Cy Young in 2024 and is an eight-time All-Star.
Sale is in the final year of his two-year, $38 million deal with the Braves. He has a club option for $18 million next season, so New York could have him for two playoff pushes.
Sale is a dominant left-hander who would add to the rotation of Max Fried and Carlos Rodon as a dominant top of the rotation. Sale is 3-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 13 starts this season with the Braves.
Analyst Wonders if Braves Will Trade Sale
If Sale is made available ahead of the trade deadline, he would be one of the most sought-after pitchers.
If the Braves are still well under .500 at the deadline, MLB analyst Chris Rose wondered if the former Cy Young winner would be a trade candidate.
“I’ll give you one other name, Chris Sale… He is the piece that teams, in a lack of starting pitching market at the trade deadline, that could swing maybe the entire playoffs,” Rose said… “When you are talking about something that could fetch you, I’m not talking High-A prospects here. I’m talking about young guys that can help you continue to make the Braves really relevant.”
Atlanta waving the white flag and trading Sale would be a big move. Rose isn’t sure if they will, but he believes Sale would fetch a massive haul.
Yankees GM Focused on Adding Pitching
New York will be in the market for pitching help this offseason.
The Yankees are without Gerrit Cole for the entire season, while Luis Gil has yet to make his season debut. With that, the Yankees’ general manager, Brian Cashman, said the team will look to acquire a pitcher this offseason.
“Always pitching, pitching, pitching, whether that’s adding to the rotation or adding to the bullpen,” Cashman said when asked about possible additions before the trade deadline.
The Yankees could have a need for a closer, due to the struggles of Williams and the injury to Weaver. However, adding to the rotation could also be a need.
