After Alex Anthopoulos admitted that the Atlanta Braves won’t move on from Chris Sale, some have wondered what the team might do at the trade deadline. The Braves have played well in recent games, sitting in third place in the National League East, but are 6-4 over their last 10. At 37-42, the Braves could play themselves back into the playoff spot.Â
Despite that, some have suggested that the Braves should move on from some of their top players, including Bleacher Report, which recently listed Austin Riley as a potential top-eight trade candidate around the league.Â
“Four years removed from a World Series win and two years removed from a truly epic 104-win season, the Braves find themselves in a spot where things just aren’t working anymore,” wrote Rymer. “They barely made the playoffs in 2024 and are now seven games under .500 here in 2025. They’re also in a tight spot with their payroll, as all those extensions have created a high floor of guaranteed dollars on a year-to-year basis.
“They ought to be thinking about who can go to create space, and Austin Riley is the best answer on two counts: The 28-year-old is making a lot of money, and he’s fallen into a weird sort of rut offensively,â Zach Rymer wrote.
Would Riley Draw Trade Interest From Teams?
Moving on from Riley would be a disaster from the Atlanta Braves’ perspective, even if he isn’t playing the type of baseball that he was hoping to entering the season. Some have pondered the idea of the New York Yankees trading for him, including Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, but Kuty wasn’t reporting anything here, just throwing out a hypothetical trade.
“Could the Yankees put together a competitive deal for Sandy Alcantara? Not without including Lombard,” Kuty wrote on April 10. “Who else will for sure be available at that time? Maybe the Yankees could try to cherry-pick from the Atlanta Braves if they continue underperforming.
“The Yankees (and many other teams) surely would like the idea of Austin Riley.”
While Riley hasn’t played the type of baseball he’s been expected to in the past two seasons, posting a 114 OPS+ in 2024 and a 110 OPS+ in 2025, the Yankees would likely trade nearly every player in their farm system if they had an opportunity to land a player of his talent.Â
Braves Wonât Move Sale, but Are Other Players Available?
According to Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com, while Anthopoulos said that the Atlanta Braves won’t move on from Sale, it’s still possible that the team could sell a bit at the deadline.
âIn a recent radio appearance, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos was adamant that the club is not trading reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale under any circumstances. He also made it clear that he is currently operating with a buyerâs mentality, even though the Braves have been one of this seasonâs biggest underachievers. However, he did leave open the possibility of a Trade Deadline sale if things go further south between now and late July,â he wrote.
If they move on from players like Marcell Ozuna, it’s possible that Riley could be available. Even if it’s to help shed salary so the Braves can retool in the offseason without Riley’s 10-year, $212 million deal through 2032 on the books, anything is possible.
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