The Atlanta Braves announced on Thursday that they have signed Chris Sale to a two-year, $38 million contract extension with an $18 million club option for 2026.
The Braves acquired Chris Sale in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, giving up infielder Vaughn Grissom in the trade. The new contract for Sale gives him more guaranteed money over the next two years than he had before.
The structure of the new contract is very interesting, and the new deal starts this season. Sale will get $17-to-18 million in new guaranteed money. In the new deal, the Braves guarantee Sale $16 million this year, and $22 million next year, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The $17 million that the Red Sox gave the Braves in the trade will cover Sale's entire salary for this season.
In the prior contract that Sale signed with the Red Sox, Sale was scheduled to get $20-to-21 million this season. So the extension gives him more money over the next two seasons, and gives the Braves an option to keep him for 2026 at $18 million.
The Braves are hoping that Sale can stay healthy in 2023, and rebound to somewhere close to what he was earlier in his career. The team clearly was looking to add starting pitching help this offseason, as they were in talks with Aaron Nola before he returned to the Philadelphia Phillies, and were mentioned as a team interested in Dylan Cease in a trade.
Ultimately, Sale is the guy they went with, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in Atlanta.
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