I recently did a piece on extension candidates for the Braves, highlighting two names that should be at the forefront of Alex Anthopoulos’ mind — veteran ace Chris Sale and 2023 NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.
Though both are crucial to Atlanta’s success heading into the 2026 campaign, the contracts they’re likely seeking couldn’t be more different. Sale is at the back end of his career and has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the last decade. He’s had a lot of success in Atlanta and could be open to a one- or two-year deal in the $25 million range. That would give him some security regardless of how this season unfolds, which is appealing for a pitcher entering his age-37 season.
From the Braves’ perspective, locking up Sale comes with obvious risk because of the injury history. But if the 2024 NL Cy Young winner stays mostly healthy and pitches like he has over the last two seasons, teams will have no issue offering around $40 million per year on a short-term deal next offseason.
Acuña, on the other hand, will be looking for generational wealth. If he were entering free agency fully healthy at this stage of his career, he’d likely be pursuing offers similar to the one Juan Soto received last offseason. Of course, Acuña’s injury history matters, and he won’t hit free agency at 28 — he’ll be 31. That gives the Braves some leverage, but every day he gets closer to free agency makes a long-term extension more challenging for Atlanta.
One additional name Mark Feinsand recently mentioned for MLB.com is intriguing as well — 2025 NL Rookie of the Year Drake Baldwin.
“No club has had more success locking up its young talent than the Braves, who have signed at least a half-dozen players to extensions in recent years,” Feinsand writes. “Baldwin, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, is under control for five more years and won’t even be arbitration-eligible for two more seasons, but if Atlanta believes he’s the long-term answer behind the plate, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Braves try to extend him to buy out his arbitration years and possibly a free-agent year or two.”
The Braves are the team that made extending their young stars early a popular trend around the league, and for the most part, those deals have worked out in their favor. I don’t think we’ll see Alex Anthopoulos go down that path with many young pitchers so early in their careers, but for a talent like Baldwin at such an important position, locking him up at a cheaper rate for a few years beyond his current deal makes sense. There’s a chance that by the time his rookie contract is up, he could be regarded as the best catcher in baseball.