This is what has become known as the Alex Anthopoulos special. Every offseason, the Braves GM makes a blockbuster trade, and every time, a contract extension follows. He did it two offseasons ago with Matt Olson. Last year, it was Sean Murphy, and this year, it is Chris Sale, who inked a two-year, $38 million contract extension with the Braves.
Since the trade was completed, several reporters have talked about Chris Sale being the next Charlie Morton in Atlanta, and this contract extension essentially confirms that notion.
The Red Sox will cover the entirety of Chris Sale’s salary this season, and he is now guaranteed $22 million from the Braves next season. The club option also leaves the door open for the Braves to have him for a third year if things work out.
The Braves are putting a lot of faith in Sale’s health. He’s only made 31 starts over the last three seasons, tossing 151.0 combined innings. However, most of his time missed was due to Tommy John surgery that forced him to miss almost all of 2021 and 2022. Sale returned this season, and while he did battle a couple of flukey injuries, he managed to pitch over 100 innings and strike out nearly 30% of the batters he faced.
The stuff is still there, and the Braves clearly feel the injury concerns aren’t nearly as grave as they appear on paper. If Chris Sale can stay healthy, this contract will be yet another bargain for Anthopoulos.
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