The Atlanta Braves and ace Chris Sale agreed to a one-year, $27 million extension.
Atlanta will also have a club option worth $30 million for the 2028 season. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported on the move.
This will make Sale the highest-paid player on the Braves in 2027. Third baseman Austin Riley, first baseman Matt Olson and starting pitcher Spencer Strider all make $22 million apiece.
The team’s projected payroll also climbs to around $177.3 million.
Sale has been dominant on the mound since his trade to Atlanta.
In 50 appearances, he has a 2.46 ERA and a 2.33 FIP while averaging 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Among pitchers with at least 250 innings, only Tarik Skubal, Cristopher Sánchez, Paul Skenes and Garrett Crochet have a higher WAR across 2024 and 2025, per FanGraphs.
Re-signing Sale, even on a short-term deal, does carry some risk, though.
The southpaw hasn’t logged 30-plus starts since 2017. A fractured rib cage cost him two months last year. In terms of the bigger picture, the Tommy John surgery he had in 2020 underscored the longstanding concerns about whether his unique delivery placed additional strain on his throwing arm.
Sale, who turns 37 in March, isn’t getting any younger, either.
A one-year pact with the opportunity to extend it for a second is at least a sensible gamble when another strong season almost assuredly would’ve netted Sale a salary of $30 million or more on the open market.
Two-time reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is by far the best starter set to hit free agency next winter. Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara, Kevin Gausman and Michael King are among the next best alternatives.
A lot of teams will be priced out of a contract for Skubal, who set a record with the $32 million salary he won in arbitration. Sale would’ve been a great alternative for contenders in need of a true No. 1 starter, and now he’s off the board entirely.