The Atlanta Braves made an aggressive move to shore up their starting rotation with the addition of Chris Sale to pair alongside Max Fried, Spencer Strider, and Charlie Morton. After their MLB-best 104 wins in 2023, that bump to the starting rotation -- alongside one of the game's lineups -- puts them back in the driver's seat for another World Series title.
The Steakhouse discussed the acquisition and what it means for the organization this season.
"He's next level," Steak said about Chris Sale joining up with the Braves this season and what he adds to the energy of the team. "He gets fired up."
In his dominant stretch between 2012 and 2018, he was a seven-time All-Star, won the 2018 World Series, led the league in strikeouts twice, and finished top-six in the AL Cy Young voting in each of those seasons. He did struggle with injuries over the last four seasons but returned to form for much of the 2023 season.
"He's not going to come in and throw 180 innings, but if he throws 140 or 150 he's going to be a major part of this team," Steak continued. "He's a 6.2 inning, 12 strikeout, one walk kind of guy when his stuff is working. We know what Strider is capable of [and] he's got the same stuff!"
While he's not what he was just a few seasons ago, he will still provide a major boon to a group that was already a high-level team.
Fangraphs now ranks the Braves as the No. 1 rotation in the Majors and projects them to win north of 98 games in 2024, which is also the best mark in MLB. Paired with two other Cy Young candidates and the reigning NL MVP, the Braves are World Series or bust this season.
"They're certainly in position, with this lineup and this rotation, to deliver [World Series] number three," Steak finished. "Imagine when the Braves come in [and opposing teams have to] see Max Fried in game one, Spencer Strider in game two, and Chris Sale in game three. If we go to game four, we'll have Charlie Morton and a slew of other guys. Forget about it."
