New Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss will have a rotation anchor at his disposal next season.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports the club has picked up the $18 million option for 2026 for veteran lefty Chris Sale.
Braves are picking up future Hall of Famer Chris Sale’s $18M option. No surprise there.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 5, 2025
Sale, 36, is headed into his 16th big league season and third with the Braves.
He made 21 starts last season, going 7-5 with an earned run average of 2.58 and a 1.066 WHIP over 125.2 innings pitched. He struck out 165 batters and walked 32.
A native of Lakeland, FL, Sale was the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner, claiming the Triple Crown with 18 wins, 225 strikeouts and a 2.38 ERA.
A nine-time All-Star, Sale has previously suited up for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox, winning the World Series with the latter in 2018.
For his career, Sale is 145-88 in 393 appearances (312 starts) with a 3.01 ERA and WHIP of 1.046 over 2,084.0 IP.