Latest Braves injury might've saved Tigers from Detroit radio host's wild trade idea

The Detroit Tigers are in a tremendous position. Armed with the league's best farm system, a talented big league roster with no real glaring holes, and the most wins in baseball with 48, the club can go in a multitude of directions at the July 31 trade deadline.

So when 97.1 The Ticket's Mike Valenti suggested that the Tigers take a strength and turn it into an overwhelming force that would be the stuff of nightmares for the rest of the league, fans throughout Michigan perked up.

The apple of Valenti's eye is Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale, the reigning NL Cy Young winner, to pair with ace Tarik Skubal. The idea of having both of 2024's Cy Young winners in the same rotation is enough to make one salivate. If housed in the same rotation, the pair might find themselves in competition for the 2025 Cy Young as well.

As brilliant as the idea may seem on paper, there are a number of hurdles that would make the deal a net loss for Detroit.

Tigers tradeing for Braves star Chris Sale presents a number of issues

First, there's the elephant in the room. Since Valenti went live with his proposal, Sale has landed on the 15-day IL with a fractured left rib cage. This is just the latest injury for the 36-year-old southpaw, who saw the latter half of his Red Sox tenure derailed by injury.

While Sale's been great this season with a 2.52 ERA, he's not that far removed from his 2023 campaign with Boston, where he looked to be running out of gas as the injuries had taken a toll on his body. He posted a 4.30 ERA in his final season in Beantown.

The latest injury further complicates things for the eight-time All-Star, and should a trade happen it's fair to wonder how much longer he can go before the wheels fall off.

Once you factor in the proposed price, you can clearly see why this should be a non-starter for Detroit. According to Valenti, the package going to the Braves would be one of the Tigers' top two prospects in Max Clark or Kevin McGonigle, in addition to one of their next three highest rated prospects: Bryce Rainer, Josue Briceño, or Thayron Liranzo, with 17-year-old Cris Rodriguez thrown in as the cherry on top.

That's an awful lot to give up for an aging ace, even if he would combine forces with Skubal to give Detroit the league's best one-two punch in the league, provided his rib cage injury isn't severe and has no long-term effects.

Ultimately, this comes down to the Tigers mortgaging what could be a potential dynasty if these prospects hit and join forces with their already potent young core for a two-year window with Sale's 2026 option.

It's safe to say Scott Harris probably wasn't thinking this big and aggressive for the Tigers' trade deadline endeavors, but he surely isn't now after Sale's untimely injury.