The Atlanta Braves are banking on Chris Sale avoiding freak accidents next season. The team signed the ace southpaw to a one-year, $27 million extension through 2027 over the offseason, including a club option for 2028.
Sale made a diving play from the mound during the ninth inning against the New York Mets on June 18, causing a fractured rib cage. The nine-time All-Star didn’t return to the active roster until August 30 and finished the season 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA over 21 outings (20 starts).
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Atlanta missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but it could’ve been a different story had Sale never gotten hurt. It finished seven games out of an NL Wild Card spot, and the 36-year-old missed around 10 starts. Given how effective he is, it’s fair to assume that the club would’ve been closer to a postseason spot had he been healthy the whole time. For example, he had a 6.2 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) when he logged 29 starts in 2024.
Regardless, that’s in the past now. Sale will start the Braves’ Opening Day home matchup with the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, giving him the chance to start a new chapter.
Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51), © Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
It’s no mystery what Sale could do for Atlanta if he stays healthy all year. The 2024 NL Cy Young Award-winner has a career ERA of 3.01 since breaking into the big leagues in 2010, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down when he’s been on the field for the Braves.
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Having a pitcher that effective takes stress off the offense, as it has a good chance to win as long as it scores four or more runs when he starts. Atlanta is certainly capable of that, as it finished 13th in baseball in runs scored last season. Stars Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson are healthy, and the squad has capable supporting pieces like outfielder Michael Harris II and third baseman Austin Riley. Riley has a 1.347 OPS in spring training, while Harris is hitting .286.
The good news is that Sale has a history of bouncing back from injuries. The veteran missed 2020 due to Tommy John surgery as a member of the Boston Red Sox, and he didn’t pitch in the big leagues again until August 2021. He then suffered a fractured rib and broken wrist the next year before suffering shoulder discomfort and a stress reaction in his scapula in 2023. He made just 31 starts from 2021 to 2023.
Boston then traded Sale to Atlanta, and he won the Pitching Triple Crown, the NL Cy Young Award, and NL Comeback Player of the Year honors after going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA in 2024. It’s no coincidence that the team made the playoffs that year, and it could have similar fortunes in 2026 if he avoids the injury bug.