'Trade → Shocking Retreat → Revival of All Time' 37-year-old ace became the team's highest salary record

*This content was translated by AI.

Veteran left-hander Chris Sale (37), a former winner of the MLB National League Cy Young Award in the U.S., succeeded in signing an extension contract with the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta club officially announced on the 25th (Korea time) that it has signed an extension contract worth $27 million (about 39 billion won) for a year with Sale. The contract includes a team option worth $30 million for the 2028 season.

Sale, who will receive an annual salary of $18 million for the 2026 season, was scheduled to qualify as a free agent (FA) after the 2026 season. However, as he signed an extension contract this time, he will be evaluated by the market at least after the end of the 2027 season.

Sale's annual salary is well above the $23 million recorded by Josh Donaldson in 2019. It is a new record for the highest salary in a single season in the history of the Atlanta Braves for more than 150 years.

Sale left the Boston Red Sox for Atlanta in a trade in December 2023. At that time, the prevailing view was that his career was actually downhill. But the sale reversed all this public opinion. In the last two seasons, he has pitched in 50 games (49 starts) and posted an overwhelming 25 wins, 8 losses and 2.46 ERA.

In particular, he achieved the triple crown with an 18-3 record with a 2.38 ERA in the 2024 season and 225 strikeouts. The honor of winning the National League Cy Young Award also went to Sale. His 390 strikeouts over the past two seasons are 10th in the big league overall. It can be said that entering the Hall of Fame is a likely sale.

However, in the 2025 season, he played only 125 ⅔ innings for 21 games due to the aftermath of the injury. Still, he had a 2.58 ERA and struck out 165 times.

"There was no doubt about paying Sale the highest salary in the club's history," said Alex Anthopoulos, president of Atlanta's baseball operations division. "If someone deserves the highest salary, it's Sale. Considering his attitude and influence on the team, it is rather natural and important for him to become the highest salary in the team," he stressed.

"Sale is a starting pitcher in the top five or top 10 in the league. In addition to his good performance, he is also a great example for young pitchers on our team, he said. "His personality, work ethic, and fellowship have values that are difficult to convert into money. I want to find more players like him," he said.

In fact, Sale told local media about two weeks ago that he wanted to "end his career in Atlanta." After seeing this, President Anthopoulos said, "I also want it strongly," and eventually, the meeting between the two sides took place and even stamped it.

"When I just started my career at 21, I never dreamed this would happen," Sale said. I'm just really grateful to everyone who helped me to come here," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.