Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves: Million-Dollar Extension Secures the Future of the Star Pitcher
Pitcher Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves have reached an agreement on a one-year, $27 million contract extension, which includes a club option. This strategic agreement prevents the pitcher, who could reach the Hall of Fame, from becoming a free agent next winter.
Sale, who will turn 37 on March 30, revived his career with the Braves after five seasons marked by injuries. In 2024, he won the National League Cy Young Award and continued with a solid performance in 2025.
The agreement, announced by the Braves, adds a year to his current contract and presents a $30 million option without termination for the 2028 season. This contract represents the highest guaranteed salary for a single season that the Braves have secured for a player.
The decision to secure Sale comes after injuries suffered this spring by young pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep. These injuries will test the team’s depth, which is looking to recover from a disappointing 2025 season, where they recorded a 76-86 record.
Sale was one of the few bright spots for the Braves, although a rib injury limited him to 125¼ innings. In that time, he recorded an ERA of 2.58 and struck out 165 batters, with only 32 walks.
In his 17th season in the Major Leagues, Sale has been one of the most dominant pitchers of his generation. His career boasts an ERA of 3.01 in 2,084 innings, with 2,579 strikeouts and 487 walks. With a fastball that still reaches 95 mph and can go up to 99 mph, complemented by one of the most devastating sliders in the game, Sale has maintained his power throughout his career.
This is the second extension contract that Sale signs with Atlanta, the first was finalized after the December 30, 2023, trade from the Boston Red Sox.
In Atlanta, Sale, finally healthy, rediscovered his best version. After finishing in the top six in Cy Young voting in each of those seven seasons, he finally won the award for the first time, after posting an 18-3 record with a 2.38 ERA and leading the National League with 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings.
The Braves were immediately rewarded for the two-year, $38 million contract they gave him, which covered the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and included a $16 million club option that they exercised for this year.
The new extension removes one of the best players on the market, who will likely be affected by a lockout, and will prevent Sale from reaching free agency for the first time in his career. He has now signed four extensions: one with the White Sox and Red Sox, and two with Atlanta.
