The 2024 Cy Young winner and pitching Triple Crown champion is locked in for one more year, a “no-brainer” move that gives Atlanta time to decide on a future Hall of Famer’s extension.
ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves have made their first, and easiest, major decision of the 2025 offseason. As reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the team is exercising its $18 million club option for Chris Sale for the 2026 season.
The move, which was seen as a foregone conclusion, secures the team’s staff ace for at least one more year. Sale, who will turn 37 just after Opening Day 2026, has been nothing short of spectacular since being acquired from the Boston Red Sox before the 2024 season.
A Dominant Two-Year Run
Sale has arguably been the best pitcher in the National League since arriving in Atlanta. In his two seasons with the Braves, he has been named an All-Star twice and built a staggering resume:
- Record: 25-8
- ERA: 2.46
- Innings: 303.1
- Strikeouts: 390
- WHIP: 1.035
His 2024 campaign was the stuff of legends. He became one of only 22 pitchers in MLB history to win the pitching Triple Crown (leading the NL with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA, and 225 strikeouts), earning him his first career NL Cy Young Award.
Braves Buy Time for a Future Extension
By picking up the option, the Braves lock in their top-of-the-rotation starter and give themselves more time to evaluate a much more complex decision: a long-term extension for the future Hall of Famer.
While Sale remains one of the best pitchers in baseball when healthy, there are significant risks involved in a potential multi-year deal. He has a well-documented injury history, including Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2020 season, and has not made 30 starts in a single season since 2017.
Despite those risks, Sale has shown no signs of slowing down. He remains an elite, coveted ace that any contending team would build its rotation around.
If Sale can hold off Father Time for one more season, this $18 million option may simply be the bridge to him staying in Atlanta well beyond 2026.
