Chris Sale is one of those veteran pitchers entering the 2026 season knowing it could very well be the final year of his career. He has already expressed his desire to retire with the Atlanta Braves, the organization he has spent the last two seasons with and one he credits for helping revive his career.
Sale, who is in the final year of his contract with Atlanta, was clear about his intentions. “I would like to. I really like being here. These guys obviously gave me a shot and kind of picked me up off the ground,” the veteran told WSB-TV from the clubhouse.
It’s worth noting that over the past two seasons with the Braves, Sale has returned to elite form. He has put together back-to-back strong campaigns, earning multiple award nominations. In 2024, he recorded 18 wins in Atlanta, his highest single-season total since 2010.
Leaving Boston was difficult for Sale
After finishing the 2025 season with a 2.58 ERA for the Braves, it became clear that the struggles he endured with the Red Sox were behind him. However, upon leaving Boston, the 36-year-old left-hander openly admitted he had not lived up to expectations with his former club, the same team with which he won the World Series in 2018.
During a January 2024 Zoom call after being traded to Atlanta, Sale said his time in Boston was “nothing short of a disaster” following the signing of his five-year extension. “They obviously made a big commitment to me… and I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain.”
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On the Foul Territory podcast in January 2024, he added that while 2017 and 2018 marked the peak of his career, including closing out the 2018 World Series, the years that followed felt like a “gut punch,” largely because of the size of his contract while he was sidelined.
