The Braves have agreed to a one-year, $27 million contract extension with the future Hall of Fame left-hander, a move that ensures Sale will not reach free agency next winter and signals the franchise’s continued belief in the revitalized ace. The deal adds a year to his current contract and includes a $30 million club option for the 2028 season with no buyout. It also marks the largest single-season salary the Braves have ever guaranteed to a player.
A Record Commitment Signals The Braves Trust
For a franchise seeking stability after a disappointing 76–86 campaign in 2025, the timing is deliberate. Spring injuries to young starters Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep have tested Atlanta’s pitching depth, elevating the importance of anchoring the rotation with a proven veteran. In committing this level of money, the Braves are not merely rewarding past performance; they are betting that Sale remains central to their next competitive window.
From Injury Setbacks to Cy Young Glory
After five injury-marred seasons in Boston, Sale resurrected his career in Atlanta. In 2024, he captured the National League Cy Young Award for the first time, going 18–3 with a 2.38 ERA and a league-leading 225 strikeouts across 177⅔ innings. It was the culmination of years of near-misses; Sale had previously finished in the top six of Cy Young voting seven times without claiming the prize.
He followed that dominant campaign with another strong performance in 2025, posting a 2.58 ERA over 125⅔ innings despite missing time with a rib injury. He struck out 165 batters while issuing just 32 walks, demonstrating that even at 36, his command and swing-and-miss ability remain intact. For a pitcher whose durability was once the central concern, simply returning to form was significant. Winning a Cy Young and sustaining excellence was transformative.
Power Stuff That Defies Time
Sale’s resurgence stands in sharp contrast to the turbulent stretch that preceded it. After a brilliant start to his Red Sox tenure, highlighted by a 308-strikeout debut season in Boston and recording the final out of the 2018 World Series, his career was derailed by injuries. Tommy John surgery erased his 2020 season. A fractured rib cage, a broken pinky from a line drive, and even a bicycle accident further interrupted the years that followed. Though he returned to make 20 starts in 2023, home run issues left him appearing diminished.
Yet in Atlanta, healthy and refined, Sale rediscovered the electric form that defined his prime. His fastball still sits at 95 mph and can touch 99, pairing with one of baseball’s most devastating sliders. Over 17 seasons, he has compiled a 3.01 career ERA across 2,084 innings with 2,579 strikeouts against just 487 walks, numbers that place him among the most dominant pitchers of his generation.
This extension is Sale’s fourth of his career and his second with Atlanta since arriving via trade in December 2023. For the Braves, it removes one of the top potential free agents from a market that could be complicated by labor uncertainty. For Sale, it cements a late-career renaissance that has reshaped his legacy, from injury-plagued uncertainty to enduring ace.
