Nothing in Chris Sale’s recent run with the Braves suggests a pitcher winding down.
That’s the strange part. At 37, after a career that has already taken plenty out of him, Sale is not just hanging on.
He’s thriving. And the way he’s pitched since Atlanta acquired him from the Red Sox before the 2024 season has made it fair to wonder whether his Braves tenure could stretch well beyond what most would expect.
Sale’s path to this point looked uncertain when the Braves got him. He was coming off four straight seasons in which injuries had caused problems, and he had even considered retiring. Three seasons later, he’s back in the kind of form that makes him look like one of the most dangerous arms in the sport.
Sure, the easy guess is that he has maybe one more season, perhaps two, left in him. But the numbers from the last three years push that idea aside a little. They open the door to a longer runway, the kind usually reserved for the rarest of rare pitchers.
Over the weekend, MLB.com’s Brian Murphy dug into Sale’s performance and stuff over that span, and the results were eye-opening. Sale is top-3 among starters in ERA, FIP, and pitching run value over the last three seasons. Even more striking, among starters age 35 or older, only Sale, Lefty Grove, Randy Johnson, and Justin Verlander have put together three straight seasons with an ERA+ above 160.
That’s the company he’s keeping now.
And that’s why the conversation around Sale has shifted from “how much longer?” to “how long can this actually last?”
Under normal circumstances, a pitcher with more than 2,200 innings and a long injury history would be expected to fade. Sale has done the opposite.
If 2027 ends up being his last season, he’d still have a strong Hall of Fame case.
But there’s also a real possibility this isn’t close to the end. If the Braves continue managing his innings, Sale could keep rolling for several more years, the way other greats have done.
Randy Johnson pitched until 45. Verlander just retired at 43.
And with Max Scherzer, the idea of a comeback at 42 in 2027 wouldn’t exactly shock anyone.
That’s the level Sale’s numbers are inviting people to consider. Of course, with a pitcher like this, everything can change fast. But right now, the evidence says Chris Sale may have a lot more left in the tank than anyone would have guessed when he arrived in Atlanta.
In Other News...
Ronald Acua Jr. Trade Talk Just Took A Dramatic Turn
Ronald Acua Jr. has been the kind of name that naturally sparks speculation whenever the offseason starts to take shape, especially with his contract situation and the usual churn that comes with roster-building. But multiple MLB insiders, including Jon Morosi and Jon Heyman, have now painted a very different picture, saying a trade involving Acua this winter is considered highly unlikely as the Braves continue to operate like a contender rather than a club looking to reset.
For Atlanta, the bigger takeaway is not just that Acua appears to be staying put, but that the team reportedly has no interest in opening the door to trade talks at all. Even with the usual noise that follows a star player, the Braves seem prepared to treat this as a non-starter, which only adds to the intrigue around how the front office plans to handle the rest of the offseason around him. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face A Bigger Jurickson Profar Decision Than Fans Realize
Jurickson Profars status has quickly become more than a footnote for the Braves, and not just because of what he brings on the field. Atlanta now has to sort through the fallout of a player who has been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs in consecutive years, a situation that naturally pushes the conversation beyond roster fit and into trust, accountability and how the organization wants to handle the next step.
Alex Anthopoulos has already said the Braves need internal discussions about the matter, which is usually the clearest sign a front office is still weighing the full scope of a decision. For a team trying to plan ahead, the uncertainty around Profar only adds another layer, and the sense around the club is that his future in Atlanta is very much in doubt. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Revenue News Just Added More Tension To MLB Lockout Fight
The Braves status as MLBs only publicly traded team means their earnings calls often do more than just explain the bottom line. They also offer a rare window into how one franchise is navigating the leagues broader financial picture, and this weeks update arrived with the labor fight looming in the background. Chairman Terry McGuirk kept the discussion pointedly general, steering away from the kind of detailed labor talk that would only invite more questions as the sport heads toward another round of uncertainty.
What stood out was how carefully the financial message was packaged. The clubs report showed the kind of accounting nuance that has become familiar around team business updates, with one version of the numbers emphasizing a loss and another highlighting profitability on an adjusted basis. For Braves fans, it is another reminder that the teams public financial disclosures are now part of the larger MLB lockout conversation, even when the people presenting them are trying not to wade too far into it. [Read more 🡒]