NORTH PORT, Fla. — After five injury-plagued years for Chris Sale that led the Boston Red Sox basically to pay his salary to facilitate a trade to the Atlanta Braves in December 2023, the slider-slinging southpaw not only returned to his former perennial Cy Young-contending form, he surpassed it at age 35.
To the dismay of Red Sox Nation and the delight of Braves Country, Sale won his first Cy Young Award and led the majors for the first time in both wins (18-3) and ERA (2.38), while leading the NL in strikeouts with 225 in 177 2/3 innings — more innings than he’d pitched in the previous four years combined.
It was a magical season for Sale, tarnished only by the injury-plagued Braves’ disappointing performance — their NL East title streak ended at six — and by Sale’s back spasms that forced him to miss the last week of the season and Atlanta’s quick two-game Wild Card Series loss at San Diego.
On the first day of pitchers-and-catchers workouts Wednesday, Sale met with reporters and discussed last season, the Braves’ offseason free-agent departures and limited acquisitions, his health, a trip to the star-studded BBWAA awards banquet in New York last month to receive his Cy Young, and more.
Some answers were edited slightly for brevity or clarity.
Chris Sale fit in quickly with the Braves, saying ‘the camaraderie was as good as any I’ve ever seen or any team I’ve ever been on.’ (Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)
On going to New York and being part of that fancy banquet to receive his first Cy Young Award
It was it was a good time. Not fun leaving 70 degrees (his Florida home) to go to, like, 12 degrees. But for that occasion, I think we can we can suck it up and do it. It was it was a nice event.
Last year you talked about how important having a healthy offseason was for you. Were you able to basically do that same program again this winter?
Yeah, that was something that was important to me. I honestly just tried to replicate last offseason as much as I possibly could, to be able to kind of show up here in the same way I was last year. I’m hoping to just run it back and do the same thing.
You threw a bullpen at Truist Park (after missing the playoff series) to test your back before you went home. Were you able to put that situation to rest and have a normal offseason?
Yeah, I took a couple of weeks off, to let everything calm down. We stayed in Atlanta for a little bit. There was a hurricane going on back home. So we stayed in Atlanta for a couple of weeks. And then when I got (to Florida), I started moving around a little bit. I’d say it was probably about two or three weeks after, then it was like, OK, I’m fully back to normal. So yeah, then just playing long toss, and I’ve been off the mound (throwing bullpen sessions) seven or eight times so far. So, excited for spring training to get going.
What if anything did you learn last year that you can apply going forward?
I found a routine that really worked well for me last year, and when I needed to adjust, I could. So again, I’m basically just trying to replicate what last offseason looked like, and then kind of do the same thing through spring training and hopefully it translates to the season.
You lose Max Fried and Charlie Morton from the rotation, but have back Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider expected to return early in the season from elbow surgery, Reynaldo López and yourself. Do you still feel good about the rotation?
Absolutely. We have some guys in Gwinnett, too, that are ready. So, we’ve got full confidence. We’ve got basically our entire lineup back, with adding (outfielder Jurickson) Profar — that definitely extends our lineup quite a bit. We had the best bullpen in the league last year and that’s, for the most part, all the way back. And like I said, we have confidence in our starters and we’ve got some guys that are ready to step up and take on that role. So we’re ready to get rolling.
What did you learn about this team last year?
That there’s really no wavering. There’s no backing down. The camaraderie was as good as any I’ve ever seen or any team I’ve ever been on. There’s a lot of stuff that went on last year, a lot of adversity, a lot of injuries. And the vibe never really changed. No one ever sulked about it and there was no pointing fingers or feeling down. It was just kind of, “Alright. This is what happens, this is the game, next man up.” And everybody that kind of filled in did exactly what we needed them to do. So, taking that mentality with the full-strength squad (this year) is going to be special.
On seeing a team deal with so many injuries last season
It seemed like we never really got our heads fully above water. Like it was one thing after the other. And a lot of it was just bad luck or bad timing. But again, the resilience of this squad and the makeup of everybody in this clubhouse got us over that hump and through the season. And we kind of snuck into the postseason when, quite honestly, we probably shouldn’t have. So it was it was a special group.
The Braves lost veteran catcher Travis d’Arnaud, whose option was declined before he signed with the Los Angeles Angels. At the same time, you said several times how much you enjoyed pitching to backup Chadwick Tromp last year, and now you’ve got a healthy Sean Murphy. So, do you feel good about the catching situation?
Absolutely. Losing a guy like Travy in any clubhouse is a blow. Who he was obviously on the field was special; he had some really, really big moments last year, (and throughout) his career wearing this uniform. It’s never an easy thing watching a guy like that walk out the door. But it’s baseball. How many teams truly stay together for years on end? You know, he’s a little bit closer to home (L.A.), which might be a little bit better for his family, too. It doesn’t make it easy, but it’s part of it.
How hard was it to be injured and miss your last start and the playoff series? Is that motivating you?
Yeah, for sure. I think having all the guys being healthy, too, is going to help a lot. Health is kind of the main goal of all of us. So, having a clean slate, starting fresh, having everyone back — it’s Day 1 of spring training, it’s always good vibes. So we’re just excited to get this thing going and try to take back the division.
Does it feel any different at the start of spring training than at this time last year?
No, I would say that it’s mostly the same guys. And again, just the attitude of this team, the makeup of everybody in this clubhouse, our coaching staff, doesn’t really allow for a whole lot of ups and downs. It’s a pretty even-keeled group. Very laid back, but intense when we need to be. So it makes for a fun and good environment to be in.
How satisfying was last year for you after having time to sit back and think about winning 18 games and the Cy Young?
I appreciated it. It was crazy going from where I was to get to the end — November 20th was a pretty crazy day for me (when Cy Young winners were announced). So I’m just appreciative. I know I put in a lot of work, but there’s a lot of other people behind the scenes that put in a lot of work to get me out there, too. I wouldn’t be there without my teammates. I wouldn’t be there without the training staff, coaching staff. My family. You look at this journey you’re on and realize how much help you actually need to get there. So I definitely appreciate those people and I appreciated the journey and just had fun with it.
Did life change at all after winning the Cy Young?
(He laughs.) No, I have three kids waking up who need breakfast. I’ve got honey-do’s, too. So, no, it just kind of solidified how special the people around me are, how much my family means to me, how much my teammates mean to me and everybody else involved. Being a Cy Young winner, I guess it’s just something to put on your business card or whatever. But it didn’t change anything for me. I still had to go throw. I had to work out. I had to prepare for a season. If anything, it probably just puts a bigger target on my back. So this is going to be a big year.
As teams like the Dodgers and the Mets spent a lot of money this winter, was the mentality for you and your teammates?
What was it, last year when we had the best odds to win the World Series, or second-best odds, or something like that? And I mean, we basically have the same team. So, nothing really changes on our end. We’ve got guys that can hit a bunch of homers and we got a bunch of guys that can keep runs off the board. At the end of it, that’s the name of the game. I feel like our defense was unbelievable, too. So, all those things together and if, God willing, we’ve got good health, I like our chances as much as anybody.
And you saw Grant Holmes and Schwellenbach last year as rookies, are you excited about what those guys can do in Year 2?
No question. I think those guys are kind of primed to have a breakout season and be able to hold down what we’re expecting from them.
The way last season ended, what did it say about Holmes when he stepped in for you on less than an hour’s notice to start that final game of the season-ending doubleheader?
It says a lot about who he is. You look at this guy’s journey and what he’s been through in his career (Holmes spent 10 years in the minors before his MLB debut last season). He gets a shot. And I’m assuming that can be pretty nerve-wracking. And not only that, he’s in the bullpen and then he’s starting, and then he’s back in the bullpen, and then he gets a knock on the door an hour before a start and holds it down for us. So again, I think he’s as ready as anybody to take on that task and can be a guy for us.
On Profar, if you’re facing him as a pitcher like you did back in the American League, what makes him so difficult to face?
He’s just never going to give in. And he’s baseball-smart. He just makes things happen. He can wreak havoc on the basepaths. He’s always going to try to put the ball in play and can foul stuff off. I think adding him into our lineup just lengthens it quite a bit.
With Charlie Morton gone, you’re the oldest now. How do you plan to help mentor young pitchers on this team?
By just being open, being available. And being approachable. That was kind of the cool thing I noticed when I first got here last year. There was a lot of just sitting over here in this corner — we’re missing (coach Sal Fasano), which is a tough blow for us; he was great about that — but there’s just a lot baseball talk and just pitching. And whether we’re talking about something going on with somebody else, or a game, or me facing this guy or you facing this guy or whatever it might be, there’s a lot of baseball talk. That’s always healthy for a clubhouse to have. And I think guys know if they got some (question) for me, I’m always here.
(Top photo of Chris Sale: Roy Rochlin / Getty Images)
