Nine-time All-Star left-handed pitcher Chris Sale, 37, will continue his tenure with the Atlanta Braves.
The Major League Baseball club announced on the 25th that it has signed Sale to a one-year, $27 million contract extension. The deal reportedly includes a $30 million team option for the 2028 season.
Sale, who is earning $18 million this year, was set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. The extension now keeps him off the market for at least two more years.
The contract also sets a new franchise record for highest single-season salary, surpassing Josh Donaldson's one-year, $23 million deal in 2019.
Sale was selected 13th overall by the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the 2010 MLB Draft and made his major league debut that same year. He posted a 2-1 record with 2 holds, 4 saves, and a 1.93 ERA across 21 games. The following season, he appeared in 58 games, recording 2 wins, 2 losses, 16 holds, 8 saves, and a 2.79 ERA.
From 2012 through 2018, Sale recorded double-digit wins for seven consecutive seasons.
Injuries subsequently derailed his career, but Sale completed a remarkable comeback after being traded from the Boston Red Sox to Atlanta in December 2023. Over two seasons with the Braves, he went 25-8 with a 2.46 ERA in 50 games, including 49 starts.
In 2024, Sale won the National League Cy Young Award after capturing the pitching Triple Crown with an 18-3 record, 2.38 ERA, and 225 strikeouts.
Last season, injuries limited him to 21 games and 125⅔ innings, but he still delivered solid numbers with a 2.58 ERA and 165 strikeouts.
MLB.com noted that the lucrative extension is "all the more remarkable considering Sale thought 2024 might be his final season when he joined Atlanta."
"This is what I've dreamed of," Sale said. "I never imagined something like this could happen, but I'm truly grateful to everyone who helped me get here."