Report: Atlanta Braves Showing Strong Interest in Chris Sale
But Coppy Said…!
It’s a bit funny. When we first proposed a scenario in which the Braves might pursue Justin Verlander, there was interest among fans, but some responses approaching ridicule from those who cover the team full-time… based around quotes from John Coppolella made this off-season.
Paraphrasing, Coppy has directly or indirectly made statements like this:
- We are not yet in a position to trade from our strengths yet (the context was the farm system; especially surplus pitching)
- Ace pitchers are developed – they are not traded for
Of course he also indicated a desire to obtain one frontline starter to go with 1-2 innings eaters that would solidify the rotation while the kids continued to develop. We discussed that rationale last weekend.
Most recently, Coppy seemed caught off-guard to learn that at least one name had leaked out in discussions he’s had (with 20-ish teams) over pitching: Chris Archer of the Rays. That came from Jon Morosi:
#Braves have spoken with the #Rays about Chris Archer, among other controllable starters, sources say. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) November 8, 2016
Now sure: the sexy names are going to be the ones that these writers lead with. But in the case of Chris Sale, this is not a general ‘kicking the tires’ kind of rumor – it’s specific.
So why is Coppolella seeming to welch on his words from just a couple of weeks ago?
There is a reason… count to 40 and turn the page.