The Braves didn’t just land a frontline starter when they traded for Chris Sale at the end of 2023. They got a pitcher who has put himself back in the Cy Young conversation and stayed there.
Sale finished third in this year’s NL Cy Young voting, adding another elite finish to a résumé that keeps growing in Atlanta. It comes two years after he won the award in his first season with the Braves, and it gives him four top-3 finishes and nine top-6 finishes since 2012.
That kind of production looked far from guaranteed when Atlanta acquired him from the Boston Red Sox. Sale had thrown only 151 total innings from 2020 through 2023, but he found his old level again with the Braves. He has been an All-Star in all three of his seasons with the club and has also matched up with his idol, Randy Johnson, in the record books.
Nobody is catching The Big Unit, but Sale has made a strong case for being in the same neighborhood.
He locked down his ninth career 200-strikeout season by punching out the final batter he faced in his regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Reds. That put him and Johnson alone as the only left-handers in MLB history with at least nine seasons of 200 strikeouts.
The numbers behind Sale’s season were as sharp as the reputation. His 2.16 ERA ranked second in the NL, his 0.98 WHIP was third, his 200 strikeouts ranked fourth and opponents hit just .215 against him, sixth-best in the league.
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski took the award in a unanimous vote by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, with the vote held before the postseason. The 24-year-old capped his sophomore season with a World Series title, but his case was already built on a 1.80 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP and 252 strikeouts over 174 2/3 innings in 30 starts.
Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez came in second after going 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA in 33 starts.
In Other News...
Braves Shortstop Search Just Got A Lot More Complicated
The Braves search for a shortstop has already been one of the most closely watched parts of their offseason, and the latest wrinkle only adds to the intrigue. Texas is reportedly open to exploring a Corey Seager trade, which instantly puts one of the biggest names on the market into the conversation for Atlanta, a team that has been weighing how aggressive it wants to be while trying to solve the position for the long term.
Seagers profile is easy to understand, but the path to landing him is anything but simple. His contract is hefty, his injury history gives any suitor pause, and his no-trade clause gives him control over where this goes next. For the Braves, the bigger question is not whether Seager would fit, but how far they would be willing to go to make a deal work, especially with the kind of premium talent other clubs would surely demand in return. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Suddenly Face A Messy Jurickson Profar Decision
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The organization has not yet settled on whether he will be part of the plan going forward, and the uncertainty only adds another layer to a winter that already demands some lineup reshuffling. For now, the Braves are left waiting on clarity while the possibility of moving on from Profar appears to be growing, which would push the club toward addressing a new need in the outfield mix. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Rotation Search Just Put A Long-Rumored Fit Back In Focus
The Braves offseason to-do list is already clear enough: they need help at the front of the rotation, and the market keeps circling back to a familiar name. Sonny Gray has long looked like the kind of starter who could fit in Atlanta, and his recent work with the Boston Red Sox only sharpened that case. He brings the sort of track record and reliability the Braves tend to value, especially as they sort through a pitching market that does not offer many clean answers.
Gray also comes with a practical layer that matters for a team trying to balance need and cost. He is close enough to Atlanta to make the fit feel natural, and his profile stands up well against other possible targets the Braves could chase. The bigger question is whether Atlanta would be willing to meet the kind of contract Gray is likely to command, given how the club has traditionally approached long-term money for pitchers under general manager Alex Anthopoulos. [Read more 🡒]