It almost seems like the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals were being ‘used’ somewhat to set the bar for what ultimately became the price Boston paid to get Chris Sale today.
The Nationals are surely disappointed at the outcome. I expect that Atlanta is to a lesser extent since it’s likely that their offer wasn’t going to change – regardless of the outcome.
Still, now that the White Sox made this big deal, the expectation is that the floodgates are now open – Chicago will rebuild. And they do have more to sell.