The Atlanta Braves are gearing up to defend their National League East title streak and add their seventh consecutive division title after winning 104 games in 2023. The offseason has largely been a quiet one for this roster, but one addition piqued the interest of fans -- the addition of Chris Sale.
Braves insider, Grant McAuley, discussed why he loves this addition to an already dominant Braves roster.
"Chris Sale, what a difference-maker this guy could be for a rotation that already has talent," McAuley said about the new Braves left-hander. "But as we saw last year after using 16 different starting pitchers, they would like to have -- not just the talent -- but the ability add somebody that's got that big-game experience."
The 34-year-old has certainly bagged his fair share of big game outings -- whether that's All-Star appearances (he has seven of them) or World Series (he was the ace for the Red Sox and closed out that series for them in 2018). Moreover, he brings with him a fiery attitude that could be just what the rotation, and roster, really need when October rolls around.
"[Sale] is a strikeout champion, an All-Star, a World Series champion," McAuley continued. "He's not just a credibility boost to the Braves rotation because of the name, but his stuff. [The media] talked to him yesterday, and he feels like there's significant tread on the tire and he's finally had a healthy offseason. I think this could be one of the sneaky good additions by any club in baseball."
Injuries have been an issue for the newly acquired Brave, ranging from Tommy John surgery in 2020 to stress fractures in his rib cage (2022). But Sale told reporters over the weekend that this has been the healthiest he has been in more than four years.
Before those injuries, he wasn't just a good pitcher -- he was one of the very best in baseball. Sale went on a seven-year run of never accounting for fewer than 200 strikeouts in a season and his career SO/9 of 11.1 is an MLB record.
There's no telling if he ever gets back to seasons like that, but he will slide into a rotation that already features some elite arms in Max Fried and Spencer Strider. The pressure to be an ace has been lessened and he likely won't be called upon in a major spot until the postseason, but his addition to the already present talent on the staff means that the Braves could be one of the best (if not most prepared) rotations in all of baseball.