Braves-Tigers trade pitch sends $32M 2-time Cy Young winner to Atlanta to pair with Chris Sale

The Atlanta Braves are sitting at 45 wins and own the best record in baseball after sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates. The impressive part for Atlanta is that it has accomplished much of that success despite dealing with significant injuries throughout the lineup.

The Braves are still expected to pursue a frontline starter if they want to establish themselves as true World Series contenders. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has already hinted that Atlanta plans to be active at the trade deadline.

“I fully expect and hope that we will be engaged in trades come July. I'm not trying to overly excite anybody or promise anything. But if we're playing the way we are right now, we're going to be in there,” Anthopoulos said.

The Braves have been linked to Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The challenge, however, is that several other contenders around the league are expected to pursue him as well.

“Now that it’s becoming inevitable that the free-falling Detroit Tigers may have no choice but to trade two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at the deadline, rival executives believe the bidding will come down to four finalists that not only can afford the remainder of his $32 million contract, but will also be willing to give up prized prospects: The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote.

CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa believes the Braves are among the top landing spots for Skubal at the trade deadline.

“The Tigers have crashed so hard and so fast that a Tarik Skubal trade now appears more likely than not. They'll have to turn things around right away (as in, today) and climb back into the postseason race quickly to entertain keeping him,” Axisa wrote. “For Skubal specifically, it's basically every contender. Start with the Braves.”

Atlanta knows its roster is not yet complete, which is why adding a starter like Skubal makes so much sense. Acquiring him would give the Braves arguably the best left-handed duo in Major League Baseball.

A postseason rotation featuring Chris Sale and Skubal would be a nightmare for opposing lineups, especially considering the success both pitchers have enjoyed throughout their careers. If Atlanta wants to position itself as a legitimate World Series favorite, trading for Skubal would be the type of aggressive move that could put it over the top.