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Rays righty Chris Archer is more likely than White Sox ace Chris Sale to be traded to the Braves, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Bowman adds that the Rays’ current asking price is too high for the Braves to be comfortable with.
Atlanta is known to be looking for a top-end starter, even after adding R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon and Jaime Garcia so far this winter. Their interest in sale has been known for weeks, though talks have been unable to get off the ground floor due to Atlanta’s unwillingness to include Dansby Swanson. The Braves view Swanson as untouchable, despite the White Sox requiring his inclusion in a package for Sale.
As for Sale, here's essentially a summary of the talks thus far:
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) December 4, 2016
White Sox: Any deal needs to include Swanson
Braves: Have a nice day.
Archer will likely require a less hefty package than Sale, which would be manageable for a Braves club with a strong farm system. While Swanson is off the table, infield prospect Ozzie Albies may be available as a headliner in trade packages.