Braves Predicted To Cut Ties With $38 Million Cy Young Winner Next Winter

Zach Pressnell is a Newsweek contributor based in Columbus, Ohio. His focus is MLB content. He has an extensive knowledge of professional baseball and all things that come with it after working closely with the sport for years. Zach has been with Newsweek since November 2024 and previously worked at FanSided and OnSI. He is a graduate of Bethany College (WV). You can get in touch with Zach by emailing [email protected].

Zach Pressnell

Contributing Sports Writer

The Atlanta Braves are heading into the season with high expectations. Atlanta remains one of the top teams in the entire National League alongside the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But the Braves could look a lot different a year from now.

FanSided’s Austin Owens recently made the bold prediction that the Braves would cut ties with Chris Sale at the end of the 2025 season. Sale is entering the final year of his two-year deal, though he has a club option worth $18 million in 2026.

Braves Predicted To Cut Ties With $38 Million Cy Young Winner Next Winter — FORT MYERS, FL- FEBRUARY 22: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during a spring training game against the Minnesota Twins on February 22, 2025 at the Lee County Sports Complex in Fort Myers,…Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images

“Sale is entering the final year of his contract and is 35 years old. His body has undergone serious wear and tear after pitching for 14 years in the big leagues,” Owens wrote. “Even if he performs well in 2025 and wants to continue his career, Anthopoulos and the Braves front office will be hesitant to commit to a 15-year veteran. Retirement may be on the horizon for Sale, and he has the opportunity to use 2025 to ride off into the sunset.”

If Sale posts a year anywhere close to as incredible as his 2024 campaign, the Braves would be foolish to decline his club option and let him walk in free agency.

While the Braves are loaded with young pitching talent, an ace like Sale doesn’t come along very often. It would be more likely that Atlanta moves on from somebody like Grant Holmes instead of Sale.

Things could be very different if Sale decides to retire. The Braves could also look to cut ties with him if we see major regression from the lefty.

But all signs this spring have indicated Sale will be as dominant as ever in 2025. If the Braves let him walk in free agency after another dominant year, it would be a huge mistake.

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