Chris Sale's $18M Contract Option Reportedly Picked Up by Braves for 2026 MLB Season

Chris Sale's $18 million option for the 2026 season has been exercised by the Atlanta Braves.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, the Braves will pick up the option to keep Sale on their roster.

Picking up Sale's option seemed like a sure bet for the Braves. Coming off his first-career Cy Young win in 2024, the left-hander had another stellar season with a 2.58 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 125.2 innings.

Even though a fractured rib did cost Sale two months of the 2025 season, he is still one of the best pitchers in MLB on a per-inning basis. His 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings ranked second among all players with at least 100 innings.

There's certainly a high risk of injury for Sale, especially at this stage of his career. He will turn 37 on March 30 and has appeared in 20 games or fewer in five of the past six seasons.

The upside, though, is extremely high for a pitcher who will only be making $18 million next season. There are 29 starting pitchers set to make more money than Sale in 2026.

This past season was a huge disappointment for the Braves due to a series of injuries and poor performances from key players. Just looking at the talent on this roster, they have huge bounce-back potential going into next season.

Sale will be a huge part of the equation in Atlanta as part of a rotation with Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach.