Braves trade proposal sees Atlanta empty the farm for $6.2 million All-Star ace, create powerful 1-2 punch with Chris Sale originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
With their starting rotation bruised and battered, the Atlanta Braves really only have Chris Sale and Spencer Strider as viable starting pitcher options. Even then, Strider is no longer the man he used to be.
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To fix this, they need to acquire a No. 2 to back up Sale. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer proposes that the Braves make a deal with the Minnesota Twins for their All-Star ace, Joe Ryan. Ryan would slot in behind Sale, and give Atlanta a mean 1-2 punch.
The trade would look like this:
Braves get: RHP Joe Ryan
Twins get: No. 68 overall prospect LHP Cam Caminiti, No. 90 overall prospect RHP JR Ritchie, ATL No. 5 prospect SS Alex Lodise
“The Braves are already down two starters because of injuries. Meanwhile, Chris Sale is in his late 30s, and Spencer Strider is only throwing 93.1 mph. This rotation is crying out for a savior, and Ryan is the best one Atlanta can reasonably hope for. Because as much as his back inflammation is a bummer, he’s still an All-Star starter with a ridiculous 5.6 strikeout-to-walk ratio to show for the last three seasons. As ranked by Baseball America, this trade would cost the Braves their two best prospects (Caminiti and Ritchie) and their top position player prospect (Lodise). But after back-to-back years of diminishing returns, now is not the time to hoard prospects, but to chase playoff glory,” Rymer wrote.
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This past season, Ryan posted a 13-10 record, a 3.42 ERA, 194 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.035 over 171 innings pitched. He fell off after the trade deadline, but these numbers still support him as a solid No. 2 behind Sale.
He’s also cheap, as he’ll only cost $6.2 million this year. However, with a mutual option for 2027, the chances of him being a rental are high. But, if the Braves want to contend, that’s a chance they have to take.
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Hopefully, Atlanta realizes this, and gets to work on a proposal to send Minnesota.
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