The Atlanta Braves have exercised their membership choice on left-hander Chris Sale, who will make $18 million in 2026, a supply confirmed to ESPN.
The 2024 Nationwide League Cy Younger Award winner went 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA and 165 strikeouts for the Braves this season. The nine-time All-Star suffered a ribcage fracture in June when he dove to area a grounder and missed 10 weeks after being positioned on the 60-day injured checklist.
Within the six begins after his return, Sale did not miss a beat, posting a 2.72 ERA and placing out 52 batters in simply 36 1/3 innings.
His harm was one in a sequence of accidents for the Braves’ beginning rotation final season, as all of their Opening Day starters had been on the IL as Atlanta missed the playoffs for the primary time since 2017.
Sale, 36, gained the pitching Triple Crown in his first season in Atlanta in 2024, ending with an NL excessive in wins (18) and strikeouts (225) and a league-low ERA of two.38.
Atlanta, with new supervisor Walt Weiss, returns a powerful core in 2026, led by former MVP Ronald Acuna Jr, first baseman Matt Olson, third baseman Austin Riley, future star catcher Drake Baldwin and a rotation that includes Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach.
After a fourth-place end, Atlanta nonetheless might be among the many favorites within the Nationwide League East
Although Atlanta is flush with starting-pitching choices — younger right-handers Hurston Waldrep and AJ Smith-Shawver, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgical procedure, together with right-handers Grant Holmes and Bryce Elder and left-hander Joey Wentz are candidates — its bullpen is a piece in progress, with nearer Raisel Iglesias headed to free company this winter.
The New York Submit was first to report the Braves choosing up Sale’s choice.
The Related Press contributed to this report.