The Atlanta standout has no interest in going anywhere else.
Former Cy Young-winning left-hander Chris Sale and the Braves have agreed to a one-year, $27 million contract extension, including a club option for $30 million in 2028, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Tuesday morning.
The nine-time All-Star, 36, was set to hit free agency after the 2026 campaign but will hold out in Atlanta for the foreseeable future.
Sale’s extension comes a few weeks after he said he would like to end his career with the Braves, who took a chance on him after an injury-riddled season in 2023.
He returned the favor by immediately winning the National League Cy Young.
“I really enjoy being here,” Sale said of Atlanta on Feb. 13. “These guys obviously gave me a chance and lifted me off the ground after I left 2023 and went into the offseason. Everyone here has been great to me and I’ve really enjoyed being here.”
About an hour later, Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos expressed mutual interest in pursuing a reunion.
“I hope Chris Sale is here as long as he wants to go and that would be our goal,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s one of my favorite players that I’ve had as a general manager. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to be a part of his career and to be part of a team that had him. Those guys are so hard to find and the value beyond what they do on the field is just tremendous. So the hope is that he plays as long as he wants to, and that will be with the Braves.”
Sale and Anthopoulos will address the media on Tuesday morning, according to MLB.com.
The 6-foot-2 southpaw with a nasty slider returns to Atlanta after another standout year cut short due to injury.
Before a rib fracture ended his season in late June, Sale was firmly entrenched in Cy Young talk, pitching to a 2.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 21 trips to the mound (125.2 innings).
He had a sky-high 32.4% strikeout rate and ranked in the MLB’s 100th percentile for Breaking Run Value. according to Baseball Savant.
Once seemingly a budding dynasty, Atlanta is coming off its first missed postseason since 2017 — a dominant run complete with a World Series championship in 2021.
2023 MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. reported on spring training feeling “200 percent” after back-to-back injury-riddled seasons.
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