Braves would 'love' to pair Chris Sale with $32 million Cy Young winner

The Atlanta Braves are one of the strongest teams in the National League. 

They're aiming to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers in this year's NLCS if they advance that far. 

To accomplish that goal, the Braves may need to make one or two additions to their rotation at the trade deadline. 

Potentially, the top name on the trade market will be back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. 

On Friday, ESPN's Jeff Passan wrote that the Braves could use Skubal way more than the Dodgers need him. 

"The Dodgers don't need Skubal. They don't need anything, frankly, to be the favorite to win a third consecutive World Series," Passan wrote. "And yet with arguably the best farm system in baseball and an endless wellspring of cash, the impediments in place for others simply don't exist for Los Angeles." 

And what about the Braves? 

"The Braves, on the other hand, are holding on at the top of the National League East and would love to pair him with Chris Sale for the best 1-2 punch in baseball," Passan added. 

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For opposing teams, facing Skubal and Sale in a three- or five-game playoff series is a daunting possibility. 

Los Angeles could attempt to steal Skubal away from the Braves for that reason alone. 

Sale and Skubal are future Hall of Famers. Having both of them in the rotation could help Atlanta outlast the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race. 

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