Braves blockbuster trade suggestion would land rival's $56 million Cy Young winner

After an impossibly slow start, the Atlanta Braves have begun to look like the Atlanta Braves again.

The Braves started 0-7, but they're 10-7 since. The issue right now isn't so much their record, but the fact that their vaunted starting rotation has seemingly come undone in only three weeks since the season began.

Spencer Strider made only one start before returning to the injured list with a hamstring strain. Reynaldo López could be out much longer, perhaps until August or September. And defending Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale has struggled mightily.

At some point, it seems as though the Braves will need to supplement this rotation with one more arm. What if that arm is also one more ex-Cy Young from the National League East?

On Wednesday, Zach Pressnell of Newsweek proposed that the Braves could make a bold trade for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the unanimous 2022 Cy Young winner who is making his return after missing 2024 due to Tommy John surgery.

"It seems unlikely the Marlins would look to trade their superstar ace to a division rival, but Miami is so far away from contending that Alcantara will likely be out of his prime by the time it matters to them," Pressnell wrote.

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"This trade would give the Braves a trio of Strider, Alcántara, and Spencer Schwellenbach going forward. A resurgence from Chris Sale that sees him return to his 2024 form would mean the Braves would have the best rotation in baseball."

Unfortunately, Alcantara's return hasn't gone as planned so far. The 29-year-old has a 6.56 ERA through his first five starts, though it was a positive sign that he was able to go six innings for the first time in Miami's loss on Wednesday.

The Braves can afford to wait and see for a while before deciding whether to pursue Alcantara, who is bound to command a hefty prospect return. But if they don't wind up pulling the trigger, they'd better have a viable backup plan.

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