The Atlanta Braves are stuck between the ol’ rock and hard place. Alex Anthopoulos has never fashioned himself as the rebuilding type; he built a sustainable World Series contender on paper and, until this season, the thought of Atlanta breaking up the core and selling at a trade deadline never crossed anyone’s mind. But the Braves are once again suffering through a biblical plague of injuries, and their 42-53 record just does not support realistic hopes of contending this season.

A lot can change between now and October. But unless the Braves dramatically improve at the trade deadline, even a Wild Card spot feels like a pipe dream. More realistically, this is a Braves team caught between aging vets and a promising young core built around Ronald Acuña. Of course Atlanta won’t tear it all down, but what about some of it?

Marcell Ozuna is as good as gone, which is a start. But he’s an expiring contract. What will really be telling is if Atlanta starts trading players with multiple years of club control left. Chris Sale, with a team option for $18 million in 2026, has been a popular figure in hypothetical trades, but nothing suggests that Atlanta would actually deal him. In fact, FanSided’s own Robert Murray reported that Sale is staying put. The Braves are dead set on fulfilling that promise.

But what if one contender with a deep farm system and a prominent need for starting pitching comes knocking? Never say never …

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Red Sox might have the ammo to pry Chris Sale from Braves

Ironically, of all the plausible Chris Sale landing spots, none make more sense than the Boston Red Sox. Sale famously arrived in Atlanta via trade from Boston, just as the Red Sox were slipping into a rebuild. Now Boston is surging in the AL East, winners of 10 straight, and the Braves are at a crossroads.

Even at 36 years old, Sale can command a significant haul on the trade front. He’s the reigning Cy Young winner and he was putting up Cy Young numbers again this season before an unfortunate rib injury. Through 15 starts, Sale boasts a 2.52 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, notching 114 strikeouts in 89.1 innings. Sale’s swing-and-miss stuff is just incredible for a pitcher of his age and with his MLB mileage. The southpaw can still touch the high 90s with his fastball and leave hitters in the dust with a devastating slider. He only really leans on two pitches, but they’re two of the best pitches in baseball.

Boston needs more high-leverage pitching behind Garrett Crochet. Brayan Bello and Lucas Giolito are coming on strong of late, but in terms of dependable postseason arms, it’s Crochet and then a huge gap. Sale changes that in a jiffy and gives Boston the best one-two punch in baseball with two high-powered lefties.

Just don’t count on the Braves pulling the trigger on a Chris Sale trade

Again, as FanSided’s Robert Murray reports, a Sale trade is extremely unlikely. While there is a ton of logic to the idea — Sale is historically injury-prone and Father Time is a relentless S.O.B. — the Braves remain committed to trying to squeeze every last drop from this core.

“Atlanta has not discussed Sale in trade talks and will not consider moving the left-hander or any other player under control beyond 2025, according to major-league sources,” Murray writes.

But the Red Sox are equipped with the prospect capital to make a compelling offer to Atlanta. The Braves are short on young pitchers in the pipeline, and a high-level outfield prospect like Jhostynxon Garcia or James Tibbs III could really make noise in Atlanta. Boston probably won’t touch one of the big three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer or Kristian Campbell, but anyone else in that system is fair game. Sale is a beast, and the Red Sox are expected to operate aggressively with so much momentum on their side, especially after freeing up money with the Rafael Devers trade.

Never say never. It’s probably never, but we get at least one shocking trade every season. This would fit the bill.