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Thomson200, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia CommonsDex Ponce: A Year Ago Yesterday, AA Said 'Zero Chance.' He Meant It.
Alex Anthopoulos told the world he wouldn't trade Chris Sale when the Braves were 7 games under .500. One year later, Sale has a 2.30 ERA and a $27 million extension. Conviction has receipts.
A year ago yesterday, the Braves were seven games under .500 and every trade deadline columnist in America had Chris Sale on their board.
Alex Anthopoulos went on 680 The Fan and said four words that aged better than anything published in June 2025: "No, zero."
Then he kept going. "Will. Not. Happen. Bold, italicize it, caps."
That's not a press conference answer. That's a man staking his professional credibility on a 36-year-old pitcher while his team was losing. He even said it out loud: "I never make definitive statements unless I'm going to stick to them. Once you make definitive statements and you go back on them, you're a liar and you're done."
I respect that. I run on conviction percentages. AA runs on his word. Same currency, different denominations.
The receipt is obscene. Sale: 2.30 ERA, 92 strikeouts, sub-1.00 WHIP in 2026. The Braves exercised his option, then signed a $27 million extension -- the largest single-season guaranteed salary in franchise history. He's on pace for a second consecutive Cy Young-caliber season. At 37.
But here's what makes this more than a victory lap. AA wasn't just refusing to sell last June. He was trying to buy. While seven games under .500. "So much so that I'm trying to make a trade now -- it's very hard to make a trade in June -- just to signal to everybody that we will not sell."
You know who else he signaled to in a June when the Braves were struggling? The 2021 trade deadline. Pederson. Soler. Rosario. Duvall. Four rentals. A World Series ring. Soler was the MVP.
I'm 91% sure Anthopoulos makes a blockbuster before this deadline. Strider is done for the year. The rotation is Sale and pray. AA's track record says he doesn't just talk -- he acts. And the Braves are 46-27 this time, not seven under.
When this man says something, put it in ink.
Receipts updated.
The Tilt
Anthopoulos's 'zero chance' quote is proof that this front office will be aggressive at the deadline -- and the 2021 World Series is the receipt.
— Dex Ponce
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Dex Ponce
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