Braves To Extend Chris Sale: One-Year, $27M Deal With 2028 Option
The Atlanta Braves are signing veteran left-hander chris sale to a one-year contract extension that will pay him $27 million for the 2027 season and includes a club option for 2028 valued at $30 million. The move prevents him from reaching free agency after 2026 and keeps a key arm under team control.
Chris Sale extension details
The new agreement guarantees $27 million for the 2027 season and carries a club option for 2028 valued at $30 million. This is the second extension Sale has signed since joining Atlanta, and it alters the immediate free-agent picture by removing him from the 2026-2027 market.
Performance, health and value: why the Braves extended chris sale
Since arriving in Atlanta, chris sale has posted elite rate statistics, including a 2. 46 ERA and a 2. 38 FIP, paired with a strikeout rate near the low-30s percentage and a walk rate under 6 percent. Those numbers contributed to his first career Cy Young Award in 2024. The body of work behind those marks totals 303 1/3 innings with the club, though it includes a period in 2025 when he was sidelined by a fractured rib cage sustained while diving for a ball.
Last season’s time missed—limited appearances and roughly 125 2/3 innings—frames the risk-reward calculation for Atlanta: the contract is short-term but expensive enough to retain a top-performing starter when healthy. The one-year length plus club option gives the team flexibility while keeping a proven left-hander in the rotation picture.
Rotation implications and roster context
Extending Sale gives the Braves control of their projected starting staff through at least 2027. With this move, the organization has its planned rotation rounded out under team control, leaving them positioned to deploy a veteran-laden group without turning to the open market for that specific slot in the near term.
The contract choice also reflects a broader strategy: paying a premium for short-term certainty on a veteran whose underlying metrics have been outstanding, while preserving optionality for 2028 through the club option. For a team balancing competition in a tight division, keeping an effective starter in place can matter as much as adding new arms.
What’s next
With the extension in place, attention will turn to spring training and health monitoring. Sale finished last season on the mound after the rib injury and is entering the upcoming preseason under the new contract. The club option for 2028 means the organization will retain the right to decide next winter whether to keep him on the roster at the higher option value.
This development closes the immediate chapter on his impending free agency and gives both player and team a clear short-term path. Contract language and additional roster moves were not detailed in the announcement; those operational items may be clarified in the coming days.
