Chris Sale, Braves Agree to 2-Year, $38M Contract After Trade from Red Sox

The Atlanta Braves and pitcher Chris Sale agreed to a two-year, $38 million contract, less than a week after he was acquired in a trade from the Boston Red Sox.

Sale will make $16 million in 2024 and $22 million in 2025. The Braves have a $18 million club option for the 2026 season.

Sale was originally heading into the final year of a six-year, $160 million deal with the Red Sox. Boston agreed to pay $17 million of Sale's original $27.5 million salary to Atlanta as part of the trade, which sent infielder Vaughn Grissom to the Red Sox.

The new contract essentially guarantees Atlanta will not pay a dime for Sale's services for the 2024 season while also giving the pitcher additional money in guarantees. Sale's $22 million for the 2025 season is fully guaranteed, whereas he would have been playing for the Braves to exercise a $20 million club option if he kept his current contract.

Sale, who turns 35 in March, went 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 2023. His 20 starts were his most since 2019, as he'd been plagued by injuries in recent seasons.

While the Braves will likely never be able to rely on Sale to hit the 30-start plateau, his stuff has remained dynamic. He struck out 125 batters in 102.2 innings pitched, with his slider remaining one of the best out pitches in baseball.

The Braves boast arguably MLB's best pitching rotation, with Sale joining Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder. Fried can be a free agent after the 2024 season, so locking Sale up into 2025 provides Atlanta some level of insurance.