It was clear early in Tuesday night's Atlanta Braves loss that Chris Sale didn't have his best stuff as the Los Angeles Dodgers consistently forced deep counts and put pressure on the southpaw ultimately hitting a pair of home runs and taking a led they would never relinquish. While Sale has been incredible this season and this outing was gritty in many ways, it served as a reminder that the Braves need to go into the offseason with a clear focus and list of priorities.
Getting a top of the rotation arm needs to become a clear offseason priority as it has been exposed the Braves lack any true postseason performers. Sale is a clear exception, but this game served as a reminder that the veteran is aging and being asked to shoulder an unfair burden at this stage of his career.
Spencer Strider has been a clear frustration not playing at the expected level and no longer giving fans any reason to believe that there is any longer ace potential. Hurston Waldrep, Spencer Schwellenbach, and Reynaldo Lopez have all shown regression and dealt with injuries over the last year. What version of Bryce Elder you're going to get is anyone's guess, making it clear that a meaningful addition must be made.
No matter how the rest of the series plays out there is no question that Tuesday's game served as an example of why the Braves must be incredibly aggressive when looking for top of the rotation pitching in the upcoming offseason.
Chris Sale Running Out of Gas Serves as Clear Reminder of Braves 2027 Need
It doesn't matter whether the Braves find a way to come all the way back and beat the Dodgers, or if tonight serves as the season finale. The answer remains the same when it comes to what the biggest offseason need might be. With this in mind, the Braves need to find support for Sale and be incredibly aggressive finding pitching that can offer a postseason chance.
Tyler Mahle and Martinz Perez are both expected to hit free agency only furthering the need to find a bit more depth in the coming weeks. Injuries have been the one consistent trait for Atlanta's rotation and that has held back a team more than capable of making a World Series run.
Sale's struggles on Tuesday simply served as an example of how much the franchise is asking of an aging player who already put the team on his shoulders and won the first-round series.
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