In a move that should come as no surprise, the Braves plan to exercise left-hander Chris Sale’s $18 million club option for 2026, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The team hasn’t confirmed the news.
A fractured left rib cage cost Sale more than two months in 2025, a trying campaign that saw the Braves deal with a slew of injuries and miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Sale, though, was quite good around that IL stint, posting a 2.58 ERA with 165 K’s over 125 2/3 innings. Injuries have been a recurring theme for the 36-year-old, who hasn’t made more than 29 starts in a season since 2017.
The Braves, who hired Walt Weiss as their new manager on Monday, have until Thursday at 5 p.m. ET to officially exercise Sale’s option. Atlanta also plans to exercise second baseman Ozzie Albies’ $7 million club option for 2026, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos confirmed in a recent radio appearance. The Braves have club options for relievers Tyler Kinley ($5.5 million) and Pierce Johnson ($7 million) and infielder David Fletcher ($8 million) as well. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has already declined his $16 million player option to become a free agent.
