The Atlanta Braves needed Chris Sale to turn back the clock this season. They invested in him this offseason, trading infielder Vaughn Grissom for Sale and signing him to an extension. Then they lost ace Spencer Strider for the year to Tommy John surgery. Now, young lefty Max Fried has expressed what he's learned from the future hall-of-famer and Cy Young favorite.

“I’d only heard good things about him, just as a person,” Fried said to the Atlanta Journal-Dispatch. “But to be able to experience who he is as a person every day, the competitor he is – I’ve been able to learn a lot this year. Just the mentality, the focus, what he takes into a start. This is his eighth All-Star game. He’s started three of them. He’s got a countless number of Cy Young finishes. He probably should’ve won a couple. To be around someone like that every day, you definitely learn a lot and a lot rubs off on you.”

If Chris Sale was not an All-Star in 2024, this quote alone would have made the investment worth it. Fried is an unrestricted free agent this season while Sale is under contract in Atlanta through at least 2025. If this teacher-student relationship continues throughout this season, it will be an easier sell for the Braves to retain Fried this winter. Pairing that with Sale's Cy Young-level pitching and the Braves will continue to be a force in the National League.

Braves' Chris Sale making case for first Cy Young Award

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) delivers against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field.
© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

After starting just 31 games in four years, Chris Sale is back in the Cy Young conversation. His All-Star nod for the National League was his first since 2018, the year he won his only World Series with the Red Sox. That year ended seven consecutive years with top-six finishes in the Cy Young race. None of those seasons ended with the trophy in Sale's case, however. Now, six years later, Sale is putting together what might go down as his best season to date. He leads the majors with 13 wins and is tied for the NL lead with a 2.70 ERA.

Sale should win the 2024 NL Cy Young just based on his numbers. His biggest challengers are Philadelphia Phillies righty Zach Wheeler and Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes. Sale has posted the numbers to challenge each of them on merit alone but also has a comeback story that might appeal to the voters. He is also a hall-of-fame level player that most fans would think already has a Cy Young or two by this point in his career, as Max Fried mentioned in his quote.

Regardless of his Cy Young finish, the Braves have gotten exactly what they needed out of Chris Sale this season. The last-minute loss of Spencer Strider had many questioning whether the Braves pitching staff had the depth necessary to compete in the National League. Sale has fortified the rotation and kept the Braves within striking distance of the NL East despite the Phillies' great start to the season.