After sending the seven-time All-Star to Atlanta, the Braves made a financial commitment on Thursday.
After trading away seven-time All-Star starting pitcher Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for Vaughn Grissom on Dec. 30, the Braves made sure that the southpaw would be a part of their starting rotation for years to come.
The Braves announced on Thursday morning that they signed the 34-year-old starting pitcher to a two-year, $38 million contract, which includes a club option for the 2026 season ($18 million).
After trading away seven-time All-Star starting pitcher Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves for Vaughn Grissom on Dec. 30, the Braves made sure that the southpaw would be a part of their starting rotation for years to come.
The Braves announced on Thursday morning that they signed the 34-year-old starting pitcher to a two-year, $38 million contract, which includes a club option for the 2026 season ($18 million).
Sale will receive $16 million this upcoming season and $22 million in 2025. Last season, the left-handed starting pitcher had a 6-5 record and 4.30 ERA in 20 starts after missing the prior two seasons due to numerous injuries.
When healthy, Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball, as he can rack up 200-plus strikeouts and is a Cy Young candidate. One of his best seasons with the Red Sox came in 2017 when he had a 17-8 record, a 2.90 ERA, and a career-high 308 strikeouts in 214.1 innings pitched.
With Sale In Atlanta, the Red Sox will hope that Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Nick Pivetta, or Tanner Houck can emerge as the new ace of the staff.
Bello took significant strides last season, while Giolito is looking to bounce back from a rough 2023 campaign. Giolito was signed last week to a two-year deal by the Red Sox.
Last season, Boston had a team ERA of 4.52, which isn’t good and must drastically improve if they want to compete in the AL East this season.
As of right now, the Red Sox are considered a long shot (+1000 on FanDuel Sportsbook) to win the AL East this upcoming season. However, as we saw last season with the Baltimore Orioles, anything can happen if the pitching and hitting come together at the right time.
