Chris Sale discusses his future with the Braves

We may only be a week into Spring Training, but like most of y’all, I’m already sick of discussing Braves injuries. It’s a curse that began in 2024 and has continued to plague the club into 2026, with four key pieces already expected to miss a significant portion of the season. The latest is Hurston Waldrep, who recently had an MRI on his elbow that revealed loose bodies. A timeline for his return is not yet known, as the Braves hope he can avoid surgery.

On the non-injury front, Chris Sale had a couple of intriguing comments during his first session with the media over the weekend. Most notably, he discussed his future, saying he would love to retire as a member of the Braves.

“I would like to,” Sale said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I really like being here. These guys obviously gave me a shot and kind of picked me up from off the ground after I exited 2023 kind of limping into the offseason. Everyone’s been great to me here and I have really enjoyed being here.”

The Braves took a shot on Sale when his own team in Boston, whom he helped to a World Series in 2018, was literally willing to pay $17 million for him to go elsewhere because of his injury history. The move has since turned into one of the most fruitful in Braves franchise history, with Sale winning the 2024 NL Cy Young Award — the first of his career — and following it up with another stellar campaign in 2025, despite missing a couple of months with a fractured rib cage.

Entering his age-37 season, there’s no question Sale’s days are numbered. Father Time rests for nobody, but he’s proven he can still get it done at an incredibly high level, and Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos didn’t mince words about his desire to keep Sale in Atlanta as long as he’s still effective.

“I’m hoping Chris Sale is here as long as he wants to go and that would be our goal,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve had as a GM. I’m grateful I’ve had a chance to be part of his career and be a part of a team that has had him. Those guys are so hard to find and the value beyond what they do on the field is just immense. So, the hope is that he plays as long as he wants to, and it’s going to be with the Braves.”

Anthopoulos hasn’t hesitated in handing out contract extensions, whether it be to young rising stars or aging veterans. We saw it with Charlie Morton at the end of his career, and even with Chris Sale, whom the Braves actually extended before he even threw a pitch with a tomahawk across his chest.

If Anthopoulos was willing to immediately hand Sale a mini-extension after all of the injuries he suffered while playing in Boston, it’s difficult to imagine he would be against it after what’s transpired over the last two seasons. It’s also not like the Braves can afford to get rid of a starting pitcher of Sale’s caliber, especially with so much uncertainty surrounding Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep.

I’ve discussed it on multiple occasions this offseason: Chris Sale should be right at the top of the list of Braves extension candidates. There are injury concerns with every pitcher, but if Sale stays healthy and produces another Cy Young–caliber campaign, he’ll have every right to demand a multi-year contract in the $40–50 million range next winter.

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