Brian Snitker displayed loyalty to the Braves with his Chris Sale decision.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale is a star. The ace is not the best pitcher in baseball right now -- that honor belongs to either Tarik Skubal or Paul Skenes in all reality -- but the 36-year-old is still finding success at a high level. Former Braves manager Brian Snitker -- who most recently managed the team during the 2025 season -- recently appeared on MLB Network and selected his top 10 starting pitchers right now. Snitker displayed loyalty to the Braves by selecting Sale at No. 1 overall.
Snitker also chose former Braves and current Yankees starter Max Fried at No. 2 overall. On Snitker's list, Jacob deGrom followed at No. 3 with Skubal and Skenes checking in at No. 4 and No. 5 in that order.
It is worth noting that Snitker said he has seen his top three pitchers more than the other candidates. deGrom, of course, began his career with the New York Mets and made many starts against the Braves given their National League East rivalry.
There are arguments to be made for Sale being included in the top five. Having Fried and deGrom within the top 10 list is also an argument that can be made. Right now, however, Skenes and Skubal are probably MLB's best starters.
MLB Network's The Shredder placed Skubal and Skenes at No. 1 and No. 2 on its list. Sale was No. 4 overall and Fried checked in at No. 9 overall. deGrom was not selected for The Shredder's list.
Chris Sale is Still One of MLB's Best Starting Pitchers
With all of that being said, Sale is still a Cy Young candidate. He won the award in 2024 after pitching to a stellar 2.38 ERA. In 2025, he was limited to 21 starts. He still pitched to a 2.58 ERA and struck out 165 hitters across 125.2 innings of work.
Regardless of his placement among the top pitchers in the sport, he is the Braves' ace at the moment without question. Atlanta features a strong starting pitching staff with Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider also on the roster. With Sale leading the way, Atlanta will feel confident about its 2026 outlook.
Sale may be entering his late 30's, but the southpaw is certainly not displaying any signs of slowing down. Brian Snitker clearly has full confidence in Chris Sale given his top 10 list selections.