🔥 UPDATE: BRAVES URGED TO MAKE A POWER MOVE WITH CHRIS SALE’S FUTURE A wave of strong opinions is crashing through Atlanta as insiders insist extending Chris Sale past 2026 could reshape the franchise’s long-term stability. Reports suggest his impact on the clubhouse and rotation is far greater than anyone expected, pushing executives toward a bold decision. Fans feel the momentum shifting, sensing that locking Sale in could be the move that defines the Braves’ next championship window.

Chris Sale has proven to be one of the Atlanta Braves’ best additions in recent memory. A move that was ridiculed at the time it was made, they got the last laugh.

In a Braves uniform, Sale has revived his career with a 2.46 ERA, a 168 ERA+, a 1.03 WHIP and 390 strikeouts over 303 1/3 innings pitched. Health has still been an issue at times, though the major injury was freak, his contributions are overwhelmingly positive.

It made it a no-brainer for the Braves to pick up his $18 million club option for the 2026 season. However, there is a clear case to keep him around longer, even as he gets set for his age-37 season.

If he ends up deciding to call it a career, it is what it is. He very well could decide he’s done it all, after all, he’s won a World Series, been an all-star nine times and he’s gotten that long-awaited Cy Young. He’s at a point where if he wants to just be with his family, that’s more than fair.

That being said, if he decides he wants to keep going, the Braves need to keep him in town. He’s playing at a high level and provides veteran leadership that’s hard to replace.

From simply a performance standpoint, he is a key piece to a Braves team looking to contend. The team greatly felt his absence during the two months he was out last year, and not having him at all could mean feeling that impact all season.

As for the postseason, his performance has been hit or miss in his career. However, he’s an important piece, at the very least, to a team trying to reach the postseason.

Young pitchers are coming through the Braves system who could benefit from his mentorship when they reach the Majors. Not many get the chance to overlap with a future Hall of Famer, and that insight could help their long-term future.

Sale has more milestones he could still reach if he chooses to keep going beyond this upcoming season. He’ll need more than one more season to reach 3,000 career strikeouts. If he continues to notch 200 strikeouts per season, he won’t get there until 2028. However, when he’s healthy, he’s usually outpacing 200 per season, and he could potentially get there before the end of the 2027 season.

From the perspective of where he could land all-time in Braves history, he can still land pretty high. Assuming he stays healthy, which is a sticking point for all these milestones given his history, we’ve established he’s capable of getting at least 200 strikeouts per season. He’s had only one season in which he made at least 26 starts and didn’t reach that mark.

If he sticks around through the 2028 season (through his age 39 season), he’ll rack up at least 600 more strikeouts if he can get at least 26 starts. That would put him at least 990 total as a Braves pitcher. By that point, he will have surpassed Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Steve Avery on the franchise’s all-time strikeout list. He’d be on Tim Hudson’s heels (997).

This next milestone is one he only has an outside shot at, but he’s 55 wins away from 200 in his career. That would require him to pitch at least another three seasons, average 18 to 19 wins per season. The hill he has to climb is steep, but he could get there in theory.

For those who are concerned about decline, it’s a valid point to bring up. While he’s looked great the last couple of years, at some point, Father Time catches up to everyone. Sale has at least established the precedent that he can bounce back even mid-season. He’s struggled early on in both of his seasons in Atlanta, only to find his footing and dominate the rest of the way.

He wouldn’t be alone among greats who continued to be rock solid into their late 30s. For example, his peers, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, were solid late into their careers.

At first thought, it sounds absurd to bring this point up, but look at it this way. If you’re a future Hall of Famer, which Sale is, then you’re already that much more likely to have a long career, one that long outlasts even the average all-star pitcher. Therefore, it can be assumed that you’re capable of pitching well enough to keep going, and using other Hall of Famers as are precedent for what to expect isn’t that far-fetched.

So, if you’re the Braves, do what you can to keep this future Hall of Famer in town, if he wants to keep pitching. He provides so much to the team that it is nearly impossible to calculate. Once he’s gone, it’s going to be felt.