The Chicago Cubs are leading the National League Central, but their starting rotation could use some help as they look to make a deep postseason run.
The Cubs' rotation lost Justin Steele to season-ending elbow surgery. Shōta Imanaga is on the injured list right now as well. While he is expected to return, the Cubs could use a reliable, elite arm in their rotation. While outlining "dream" trade packages for the Cubs, FanSided's Aldo Soto proposed this trade that would bring Chris Sale from the Atlanta Braves to Chicago:
- Cubs receive: LHP Chris Sale
- Braves receive: C/1B Moisés Ballesteros (Cubs No. 3 prospect), LHP Jordan Wicks and 1B/OF/3B Jonathan Long (Cubs No. 12 prospect)
"The Braves could get three MLB-ready players with the addition of Jordan Wicks," wrote Soto. "The 25-year-old could be a cheap option for the Braves as Wicks is still in the pre-arb stage of his career. Wicks was the Cubs' first-round pick in 2021, and was a fringe top-100 prospect a couple years back prior to his first call up to the Majors in 2023. He's battled through injury this season, but he's shown flashes of being a solid back-end rotation option in the recent past."
Sale's availability is dependent on how well Atlanta plays in the next few weeks. They are already behind the curve in the Wild Card and Division race. If they fall completely out of contention, Sale could end up becoming the talk of the trade deadline. He has a 2.79 ERA in 14 starts and is the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner. Sale is an eight-time All-Star and is playing some of the best baseball of his career.
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"Sale would give the Cubs a true frontline starter to lead the rotation into the postseason," wrote Soto. "At 36 years old, Sale is not showing any signs of slowing down after coming off his Cy Young Award-winning season with the Atlanta Braves in 2024."
More MLB: Braves blockbuster trade proposal ships Chris Sale to Red Sox in 3-for-1 deal