"He just brings this fire to the game that not everybody has" - Pierce Johnson weighs in on Chris Sale's impact on Braves rotation
Earlier this offseason, Chris Sale joined the Atlanta Braves as part of the trade that took Vaughn Grissom to the Boston Red Sox.
Following his Braves move, the veteran ace put pen to paper on a two-year, $38 million extension with the Braves. The deal also includes a $18 million club option for the 2026 season.
The Braves have been looking to bolster their rotation this offseason following a disappointing NLDS exit despite having dominated throughout the regular season.
In a recent appearance on the MLB Network Radio, Braves reliever Pierce Johnson spoke about how the addition of Sale betters the club. He said:
“Especially having another left-handed starter in there, especially with a guy who has been one of the top starters in baseball for the last decade. He just brings this fire to the game that not everybody has, and I think that’s really going to help our team because [Spencer] Strider has it for sure. But you add another fiery starter like that, who just wants to go out there compete and win. I think that’s only going to help our team, especially coming playoff time.”
Spencer Strider remains one of the best starters in the National League, but adding Sale to their starting pitching options gives Atlanta some much-needed depth alongside the likes of Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Co.
Chris Sale adds depth to the Atlanta Braves’ rotation
An array of injuries has marred Chris Sale’s career dominance. He has finished within the top six in the balloting for the American League Cy Young Award for seven continuous seasons from 2012 to 2018.
However, the starter went through a Tommy John surgery in 2020, followed by a rib fracture and a right wrist fracture during the 2022 season. He made just 11 starts between 2020 and ‘22.
The injury saga continued last season when he spent most of the time off the grounds as a result of a reaction to his left scapula. He had a 4.30 ERA through 20 starts. He posted a 3.92 ERA in the nine starts, which he managed after returning from the IL in August.
According to reports, the Atlanta Braves plan on getting Sale started at the very beginning of the season. They’ll not put him on the shelf and delay his debut as they believe that it is not necessary to have the player give his best during the playoffs.
Currently, the Braves rotation is star-studded with the presence of Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, Chris Sale and Bryce Elder. According to reports, Elder would fight against Reynaldo Lopez, AJ Smith-Shawver and others to make it to the fifth spot when Spring Training is on.