The Atlanta Braves promptly signed Chris Sale. They signed the veteran left-hander to a two-year, $38 million contract that includes a $18 million club option for 2026. The agreement came just five days after the Braves traded for Sale, 34, who had one year and a 2025 option left on his previous contract with the Boston Red Sox.
The new agreement trumps the previous one, with Sale earning $16 million in 2024 and $22 million in 2025. Under the old contract, he would have earned $27.5 million in 2024. The Braves would have paid $500,000 in 2024, with $10 million deferred to 2039, and the Red Sox would have covered $17 million as part of the trade that sent infielder Vaughn Grissom to Boston.
The new contract eliminates the $10 million deferral. However, the Braves still receive $17 million from Boston, which covers his whole 2024 salary plus $1 million. There is no buyout for the 2026 club option. Atlanta will pay him $21 million over two seasons, with Boston covering the remaining $17 million of the $38 million contract.
The move increases Sale’s guaranteed money over the next two seasons, since his old contract only guaranteed him $27.5 million in 2024, with $10 million deferred to 2039, whereas the new agreement pays $38 million over two seasons plus a $18 million club option for 2026 with no buyout.
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