Count Braves first baseman Matt Olson among those excited to see southpaw Chris Sale in the rotation.
The Braves acquired Sale, a seven-time All-Star, from the Red Sox late last month and inked him to a two-year extension. While Sale has battled injuries in recent seasons, his strikeout rate remains superb, and he’s undoubtedly one of the more accomplished starters in the game.
“I’m glad I don’t have to face him,” said Olson, who’s 0-for-5 with two strikeouts against Sale. “His track record speaks for itself. Obviously had some injury stuff the last couple years. I heard an interview where he was saying just having a normal offseason is something he hasn’t been able to do (recently). So very excited to get down there and meet him. His track record speaks for itself. You know that’s Chris Sale walking in, getting on the mound.”
Sale, 34, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2020, with the recovery cutting into his 2021 campaign. He had a stress fracture in his right rib cage that interrupted his 2022 season. Last year, he had a stress reaction in his left shoulder blade.
Overall, Sale has made only 31 starts from 2020-23, but his upside nonetheless remains tantalizing. From 2012-18, he had a 2.91 ERA over 207 starts. Even through his injuries, he’s piled up strikeouts: Sale fanned 11 per nine innings over 20 starts (102-2/3 innings) last season, an accomplishment that helped fuel the Braves’ interest.
The Braves report to spring training next month seeking their seventh consecutive National League East championship. They’ll be among the favorites to win the NL pennant alongside the always favored Dodgers, who spent lavishly this winter, including $700 million on sensation Shohei Ohtani.
