The day after MLB named Atlanta Braves ace the 2024 NL Cy Young winner, Chris Sale made an Appearance on Foul Territory to discuss everything from his 2024 season, including one shocking revelation about Sale’s plan for the future.
According to Sale himself, his initial plan was to retire following the last season. According to the lefty, since he only had one year left on his contract in Boston, he and his wife decided to let this be the last season, and even pulled their kids of of school so they could experience his last ride.
Then the Braves traded for him, extended him, and possibly changed the entire trajectory of his legacy.
Chris Sale was initially planning on 2024 being his last season before he got traded to Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/G0YDZVTcGf
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 21, 2024
Sounds like the Braves may have saved Chris Sale’s career after retirement revelation
Chris Sale’s final years in Boston were both underwhelming and heartbreaking, as the lefty couldn’t seem to catch a break from the injury bug. Going into 2024, Sale hadn’t pitched enough innings to be a qualified pitcher since 2017.
In 2023, his 107.2 innings were the the most he had thrown since 2019 and his 4.30 ERA was pedestrian. It’s no surprise then, that after years and years of disappointment, that Sale would have wanted to ride out into the sunset after his contract expired.
The Braves had other plans, however. Immediately after trading for him, the Braves showed that they believed in the 35-year-old by giving him a two-year extension with a team option for a third season.
Sale, of course, went on to have his second-best season of his career by fWAR, finishing with 6.4. His 2.38 ERA was the best in the bigs this season, leading AL CY Young winner Tarik Skubal by 0.01 runs, and his 2.09 FIP was the best by over 30 points.
This was exceptional from just a season perspective, but it also might have just put the lefty back on track for the Hall of Fame.
Before last season, it looked like Sale’s candiacy was dead in the water. It seemed like the once dominant lefty would only be remembered for one jersey cutting incident.
He hadn’t hit the 50 WAR mark and was struggling to stay on the field. Now, a 60 WAR career looks well in reach, which could propel him into Cooperstown. Braves fans shouldn’t expect prime, Diamondbacks era Randy Johnson from Sale in the next two seasons, but even if the reigning NL Cy Young winner performs at 80% of what he produced in 2024, we could soon be debating whether he deserves to go in with a Braves cap on since Atlanta might be the only reason he kept playing.
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