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Blockbuster Yankees Trade Pitch Lands Aaron Judge a $38 Million Ace

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 3:22 PM ET

Everything considered, New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is a lucky man.

Plenty of top hitters wish they had at least one ace on the mound. Judge, luckily, has two: Max Fried, who has been worth every cent of his $218 million contract, and Carlos Rodón, who is quietly putting together his best season in pinstripes.

Unfortunately for the rest of baseball, we're open to giving Judge and the Yankees a third ace: Atlanta Braves star and reigning NL Cy Young winner Chris Sale.

Any and all realistic conversations involving a potential Sale trade took off earlier this week, when longtime MLB commentator Chris Rose suggested the Braves could deal the eight-time All-Star. Atlanta entered Thursday at 27-33 and six games back in the NL Wild Card race.

The 36-year-old Sale remains a dominant force, posting a 2.93 ERA and 96-23 K-BB ratio over 73 2/3 innings. You can't blame the Braves' mediocre season on Sale, who recently became the youngest pitcher to record 2,500 strikeouts.

The Yankees, or any team interested in Sale, likely won't be able to get him for cheap. Although he only has an $18 million club option remaining after this season, Sale is pitching better at 36 than he did at 30. It wouldn't make sense for the Braves to trade him for nothing.

It'd be hard to blame the Braves if they asked for top outfield prospect Spencer Jones in a potential Sale trade, especially if he continues pitching so efficiently.

Either way, a playoff rotation featuring Sale, Fried, and Rodón sounds pretty good to us. Judge and the offense would just need to do their part—and history shows that's not always the case when the calendar turns to October.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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