Atlanta’s Chris Sale: “I like being here”

By Mark Bradley, Braves.com

NORTH PORT, Fla. — When the Braves acquired Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox a little more than two years ago, there were obvious questions.

Sale had made just 31 starts over the previous four seasons. He was approaching his mid-30s. Injuries had interrupted what once looked like a Hall of Fame trajectory.

But Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos saw opportunity.

Atlanta sent infielder Vaughn Grissom to Boston and received Sale along with $17 million to offset his 2024 salary. At the time, the deal appeared favorable for the Braves. Few, however, could have predicted just how one-sided it would become.

Grissom struggled in Boston and is now with the Angels. Sale, meanwhile, has revitalized his career in Atlanta, becoming both a dominant presence on the mound and a respected leader in the clubhouse.

“I’m hoping Chris Sale is here as long as he wants to go,” Anthopoulos said. “He’s one of my favorite players I’ve had as a GM. The value beyond what he does on the field is immense. Those guys are so hard to find.”

Sale, who turns 37 shortly after what is expected to be his second straight Opening Day start for Atlanta, enters the final guaranteed year of his contract. He has made it clear he would welcome staying longer.

“I would like to,” Sale said. “I really like being here. These guys gave me a shot and kind of picked me up from off the ground after 2023. Everyone’s been great to me, and I’ve really enjoyed being here.”

The results speak loudly.

Sale won the 2024 National League Cy Young Award and was again pitching at an elite level last season before breaking a rib while diving for a ground ball in late June. Over the past two seasons, he has posted a 2.46 ERA in 50 appearances (49 starts) for the Braves.

Despite missing more than two months last year, Sale ranks 10th among major league pitchers in strikeouts over that span. His 32 percent strikeout rate is second among starters, trailing only Garrett Crochet.

Manager Walt Weiss said Sale’s impact extends far beyond statistics.

“He’s one of the more impressive big leaguers I’ve ever been around,” Weiss said. “The way he works, the way he competes — and there’s zero diva in him. You couldn’t make it up in a lab any better than what Chris Sale brings.”

Even in a season clouded by uncertainty about his future, Sale has kept his focus on competing.

“I don’t wear a suit. I’m not a businessman. I’m a baseball player,” Sale said. “My job is to show up and play baseball. Whether I’ve got five more years or five more days, I have a job to do.”

For now, that job remains in Atlanta — and what once looked like a calculated gamble has become one of the franchise’s most decisive wins.