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CHRIS SALE IS in a new clubhouse, a new uniform, a new city, all part of his third act. He’s content, a far cry from where he’s been in recent years. He’s also not ready to call this newest phase of his career a rebirth, even if that’s how it might look to a baseball world that seemed to have forgotten him in recent years.

“That sounds like a Disney movie,” he says. “I’m not, I guess, sentimental as that. I’m just playing baseball.”

Maybe it’s that simple. Playing is something he’s done far too sparingly over the past half-decade, and it eats at him, this notion of fragility, of unfinished business. Sale has always been at his best when he has something to prove. First, with the Chicago White Sox, who took him with the 13th pick in the 2010 draft when other teams thought he was too skinny, his delivery too unorthodox. Then with the Boston Red Sox, who introduced him to a bigger stage — and playoff baseball — and two years later moshed around him when he secured the final out of the 2018 World Series.

Now, too many injuries later, it’s with the Atlanta Braves, arguably the best team in baseball. They turned to him this winter to fortify their latest championship run, betting on Sale’s makeup and pedigree as much as the left arm that might well have some dazzle left in it.

To avoid excessive Disneyfication, perhaps it’s best to characterize Sale’s present state as a new beginning. His body is finally right. He is pumping fastballs at 97 mph and spinning sliders like the most dominant version of himself and competing like few in the game do. The disappointment, the disillusionment, the dismay — the stuff that prompted him to question if he even wanted to play anymore — is slowly fading into the ether, leaving Sale room not to rediscover who he was but to figure out who he intends to be at 35 years old.

“It took its toll on me,” he says, “but I’m here now, and we’re rolling.”


IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO appreciate the present without reconciling the past, and that’s where Sale finds himself today. He’s still processing the past five years and everything that happened in them. Following the slider that brought then-Los Angeles Dodger Manny Machado to one knee and ended a 108-54 season with a championship, Sale signed a five-year, $145 million contract extension. He struggled in a 2019 season that ended in mid-August due to elbow inflammation, tore his ulnar collateral ligament in 2020 and never felt like himself upon his return in 2021. He suffered a fractured rib, broken pinkie and broken wrist that waylaid his 2022, and endured a stress reaction in his left shoulder blade in 2023. Misfortune has chased him relentlessly.

“It’s a double-edged sword for me,” Sale says. “The whole reason I got traded [to Boston] was to help them win a World Series. And I feel satisfied in doing that. It’s just obviously what happened after that. That’s just one of the bigger regrets in my life. It’ll always be. They made a commitment to me, and I didn’t live up for that. We made a deal: ‘We’re going to give you this because you’ve done this and you’re going to continue to do that.’ Well, I didn’t hold up my end.

“It consumes you at the time. When everything’s good, everything’s great, right? And when everything’s bad, it’s never going to be good. Now I know … you have to do the same things whether you’re successful or not successful. And I think sometimes I can get lost.”

In the midst of the injuries, Sale felt positively nomadic. The game had given him so much: seven All-Star Game selections, six top-five Cy Young finishes and a 185-gemstone ring with 4½ carats of diamonds. Now it was taking away. He struggled without baseball, and he struggled with it, and it made his mind race to the point where he broached the possibility of leaving it altogether. His wife, Brianne, and their three sons convinced him to stay the course.

“Just the fact that they’re bought in,” Sale says. “My kids absolutely love it. They love it. And my wife — she’s like, ‘Listen, I want you out to do this. You’ve been doing it for so long, what’s a few more years?’ She’s still in my corner for now. She’s not saying, ‘Hey, you need to get home.’ She’s embracing it, and she’s enjoyed it, and we’re doing it for now, and we’re going to keep doing it until we don’t.”

Even with Sale’s checkered health history, teams had inquired about acquiring him. The Texas Rangers broached the possibility at the trade deadline in 2022. Nothing materialized. Same went for Atlanta at the deadline last year. This time, though, the conversations continued into the winter, after the Red Sox replaced chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom with Craig Breslow.

Atlanta was casting a relatively wide net for starting pitching. Following their World Series win in 2021, the Braves had bowed out in the division series twice against a Philadelphia team that had finished behind them in the National League East. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos tried to engage with free agent starter Aaron Nola, who opted to return to the Phillies early in the offseason. Anthopoulos discussed trading for right-hander Tyler Glasnow, who would go to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the other NL powerhouse. He broached a deal for Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease, though the price in players proved too rich.

Anthopoulos kept returning to Sale, and once Boston agreed to send $17 million to help cover Sale’s salary this season, the deal had legs. Not only could Sale bolster Atlanta’s rotation, his club option for next season would provide insurance against co-ace Max Fried‘s impending free agency and right-hander Charlie Morton‘s possible retirement. Further, Anthopoulos believed Sale’s competitiveness could positively influence the growing army of young, talented arms in the Braves’ system that would benefit from modeling themselves after Sale.

“His experience, who he is as a person, a teammate, a competitor, the ability on the field — he’s a perfect fit for us in every way,” Anthopoulos says. “It’s hard for us to find a better fit talent-wise. He checks all the boxes. With him and Charlie Morton both as high-quality people and veteran playoff-caliber starters, they’re ideal for our team now and to set an example for our younger pitchers.”

Eventually, Atlanta agreed to send the talented Vaughn Grissom — who had been blocked from the majors by the Braves’ hearty core of position players — to Boston in the deal. The Red Sox, coming off their third last-place season in four years, jumped at the opportunity to secure the 23-year-old infielder and shipped off Sale.

In his first meeting with Braves brass during spring training — a session in which the team outlines expectations and endeavors to understand where players are mentally — Sale validated the instinct to acquire him. He said he would pitch any day in any role. Starter, reliever, whatever. Boston had taught him the distilled joy that comes with winning. He wanted to replicate that. As much as he needed to look into the past to remind himself what it felt like, he was laser-focused on the future and the opportunity a team as talented as Atlanta presents.

“The whole point of this is to win, be the last team standing,” Sale says. “Nothing else matters in this game. And I am not going to say I can guarantee it, but I’d like to think that there are guys that have all the accolades in the world — Hall of Famers with no ring — and if you ask them, would you trade some of this, most of this, all of this for that? I’d like to think some of them would. Most of them maybe. I’m not taking away from individual accolades. You go out there and win MVP or a Cy Young or a Silver Slugger or a Gold Glove, that’s awesome. That’s great. And you should be very proud of that. Absolutely no question. I’m not taking away from that. But in a team sport, the ultimate goal is to win something together. And that moment, I’ll never forget that. Never.”


OVER THE WINTER, Sale had aimed to put himself in the best possible position for that pursuit. The ball still sizzled out of his hand, but he craved the sort of consistency that the injuries hadn’t allowed him. Even if Sale’s numbers and peripherals in 2023 foretold a better future, wear and tear had done a number on him, so he resolved to long toss almost every day, stick to the plan and build back what had melted away in recent years.

“I know what it’s going to take for me to be successful and some of the things that I might’ve thought were good for me might not have been good for me and vice versa,” Sale says. “You figure out a lot more when you have failure, right? When you’re sitting there with a math test and you got a 52 on it, there’s a lot to work on, and you learn a lot more going through and saying, ‘This is what I’m missing,’ and you just try to correct it.

“I just needed reps. I needed to play long toss. I needed to get my arm and my body prepared for what’s going to happen. I wanted to show up more prepared to spring training. I’d rather get to spring training and have to back off, because pushing that pedal harder [there] is never a good thing. So if I show up a little bit ahead of where I’m at, it’s easier to adjust that way as opposed to showing up and saying, well, I need to do this, I got to do that, I got to do that, because you can’t buy time.”

In his first two starts, he has done more than show up. Sale threw 4⅔ scoreless innings, striking out nine and hitting 97.1 mph with his fastball. Though spring training statistics are notoriously unrepresentative, the quality of Sale’s stuff has validated Atlanta’s decision soon after acquiring him to pick up Sale’s option for 2025 and tack on another club option for 2026. Rather than the $20-21 million in present value that Sale’s extension with Boston guaranteed, he will make $38 million over the next two years and could reap another $20 million if the Braves pick up the 2026 option.

Sale yearns for this contract to wind up better for his team than the last one. And that manifests itself not just through the work Sale has put in long tossing and doing shoulder maintenance but in the wisdom he provides and the behavior he models.

Sale doesn’t necessarily actively lead. This group naturally follows him. Whether it’s Fried, co-ace Spencer Strider, any of the other live arms that populate the Braves’ system or even position players, they glean a single-mindedness from Sale the moment they meet him. They feel his hatred for his opponent on the day he pitches and don’t want to disappoint by not matching it. Culture that grows organically is the best kind, and emulating Chris Sale — or, at very least, learning from him — provides Atlanta an element it lacked in recent years. He is an indisputable alpha, his word treated as if it were shouted from a mountaintop.

“He’s a fiery competitor,” Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy says. “You wonder if that guy is who he is, and yeah, he’s exactly who he is. He just wants to win and he just wants to pitch. He just wants to go compete. That’s what makes him go. He just loves competition. He’s much more interested in mano-a-mano, that kind of baseball. He’s got the stuff, the delivery. Everything else works for him, so it just allows him to go out and try and dominate.”

After too many seasons feeling sidelined, Sale wants to be everything in Atlanta: pitcher, coach, adviser and motivator. In that sense, it is something of a rebirth — a fresh start with a particular end in mind. Whether it’s as a starter or reliever, Sale wants to win another championship, and now he’s on a team in position to do it.

“I got one in the AL,” Sale says. “Let’s get one in the NL.”

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NHL free agency tracker: A flurry of signings on July 1

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NHL free agency tracker: A flurry of signings on July 1

There has been no shortage of excitement already this NHL offseason. Following the Florida Panthers‘ second consecutive Stanley Cup championship — and seemingly never-ending celebration — the annual period of roster modification has begun.

The 2025 NHL draft included 224 prospects finding new homes, and the weekend included trades for Noah Dobson, Charlie Coyle and John Gibson. On Monday, a slew of re-signings, and the trade of Mitch Marner, took several big names off the free agent big board.

Below you will find our continuously updated free agency tracker for 2025, featuring a list of every player signed, including average annual value of the contract in most cases. Analysis of the biggest deals can be found here.

Note that the newest deals are on top, denoted by date.

Draft recap: All 224 picks
Grades for all 32 teams
Winners and losers

July 2

Salmon Arm, British Columbia, native Curtis Lazar is headed back to Western Canada, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Oilers.


Veteran winger Anthony Mantha has made the rounds in recent seasons, and his next NHL home is in Pittsburgh, inking a one-year, $2.5 million pact.

July 1

After a brief stint for an American-based team, Andrew Mangiapane is back in Western Canada, inking a two-year, $3.6 million AAV deal with the Oilers.

Deal details


Forward Justin Brazeau has chosen the Penguins as his next NHL destination, inking a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.


The Devils continued adding to their forward depth, adding veteran scoring winger Evgenii Dadonov via a one-year, $1 million deal.


The July 1 goalie rush continues. The Mammoth are the latest team to make an addition in the crease, inking Stanley Cup champion Vitek Vanecek via a one-year, $1.5 million deal.


Offensive defenseman John Klingberg is headed to San Jose, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $4 million pact with the Sharks.


One of the top remaining free agents available, veteran forward Mikael Granlund has landed with the Ducks on a three-year deal.

Deal details | Signing grade


Veteran bottom-six forward Lars Eller has chosen the Senators as his next team, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.25 million deal.


The Penguins have extended their business relationships with Philip Tomasino (one year, $1.75 million) and Connor Dewar (one year, $1.1 million).


As part of the effort to retake the title of Florida’s best hockey team, the Lightning have inked Pontus Holmberg to a two-year, $1.55 million AAV contract.


The Wild have added Nico Sturm. The former Panther has signed a two-year, $2 million AAV contract.


The Sabres have entered the chat! The club’s first big deal of the day is inking goaltender Alex Lyon to a two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract.


The Kraken add to their goaltending depth, adding former Stanley Cup winner Matt Murray on a one-year, $1 million contract.


The Islanders had themselves a great draft weekend, and they continue the momentum in free agency, adding veteran forward Jonathan Drouin on a two-year, $4 million AAV deal.

Deal details


The Stars are on the board. Hours after announcing the official hiring of Glen Gulutzan as the club’s new head coach, the Stars have brought back forward Radek Faksa on a two-year, $3 million AAV contract.


Earlier on Tuesday the Kings lost defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to the Rangers. To help fill that blue-line gap, they signed Cody Ceci (four years, $4.5 million AAV) and Brian Dumoulin (three years, $4 million AAV). They also signed goaltender Anton Forsberg for two years, $2.25 million AAV.

Deal details


Defenseman Nick Perbix has thus far only known NHL life as a member of the Lightning. He’ll head to Nashville next, agreeing to a two-year, $2.75 million AAV deal with the Predators.


The Panthers have gone to the veteran defenseman well again, signing Jeff Petry to a one-year, $775,000 contract.

Deal details


Fresh off a Stanley Cup with the Panthers, defenseman Nate Schmidt is joining the Mammoth by way of a three-year, $3.5 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade


The NHL career of James van Riemsdyk will continue, as he has agreed to terms with the Red Wings on a one-year, $1 million deal. Separately, the Wings added Jacob Bernard-Docker on a one-year, $875,000 contract.

Deal details


The Bruins add to their depth, agreeing to terms with Sean Kuraly on a two-year, $1.85 million AAV pact.


Another key member of the Panthers’ championship roster is returning. Veteran forward Tomas Nosek has agreed to a one-year deal.


After completing the 2024-25 season with the Jets, veteran forward Brandon Tanev is sticking in the Central Division, but heading to Utah by way of a three-year, $2.5 million AAV deal.


Take another goalie’s name off the big board! Kaapo Kahkonen has agreed to terms with the Canadiens on a one-year deal worth $1.15 million. In a separate deal, the club also signed forward Sammy Blais.


The winner of the 2020 Hobey Baker Award as the top player in NCAA men’s hockey, defenseman Scott Perunovich has signed a one-year deal with the Mammoth.


In need of some backup goaltending depth, the Islanders agreed to terms with “Big Save” Dave Rittich on a one-year deal.


Diminutive, versatile forward Kailer Yamamoto is the latest player added by the Mammoth, by way of a one-year, $775,000 pact.


Veteran center Nick Bjugstad has made his decision: He’s joining the Blues by way of a two-year contract.


Veteran defenseman Ryan Lindgren finished the 2024-25 season with the Avalanche, and he’ll head northwest for his next NHL home, agreeing to terms on a four-year, $4.5 million AAV contract.

Signing grade


The Senators haven’t been able to lure any new free agents to the club yet, but their re-signing game remains strong. After re-upping with Claude Giroux, the Sens also continued their business relationship with Nick Cousins via a one-year, $825,000 pact.


Sure to be a fan favorite in Beantown, veteran forward Tanner Jeannot has agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Bruins, with a $3.4 million AAV.


A sixth-round pick in the 2016 draft, winger Michael Pezzetta is going from Montreal to Toronto via a two-year, $787,500 AAV contract.


Connor Brown impressed a lot of viewers with inspired play during the Oilers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. Now, he’ll bring that energy to the Devils, who have signed him to a four-year, $3 million AAV contract.


The defenseman market is one key player smaller, as the Rangers have agreed to terms with Vladislav Gavrikov on a seven-year, $7 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade


One of the top goaltending options available is off the board, with Dan Vladar joining the Flyers via a two-year, $3.35 million AAV contract.

Deal details


Veteran feisty forward Corey Perry is switching sides in the Oilers-Kings rivalry, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with salary and bonuses worth $3.5 million. Separately, the Kings also signed veteran forward Joel Armia to a two-year deal with a $2.5 million AAV.

Deal details | Signing grade


One of the top available free agents has made a decision … and he’ll be re-signing. Brock Boeser is back with the Canucks by way of a seven-year, $7.3 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade


Parker Kelly will continue his career with the Avalanche, agreeing to terms on a four-year contract with a $1.7 million AAV.


Veteran forward Colin Blackwell will be returning to the Stars, agreeing to terms on a two-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.


Christian Dvorak has moved on from the Canadiens, agreeing to a one-year, $5.4 million contract with the Flyers.

Deal details


Noah Juulsen, welcome to Philly! The Flyers have inked the 28-year-old defenseman to a one-year, $900,000 deal.


Defenseman Ryan Johnson is sticking with the Sabres, agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with a $775,000 AAV.


The top-rated goaltender slated to hit free agency this offseason will not make it to market; Jake Allen is back with the Devils via a five-year contract with a $1.8 million AAV.

Deal details | Signing grade


Veteran offensive defenseman Tony DeAngelo will be back with the Islanders for 2025-26, agreeing to terms on a one-year, $1.75 million contract.

June 30

The Red Wings will be continuing their relationship with veteran forward Patrick Kane, inking a one-year, $3 million extension.

Deal details | Signing grade


The band is getting back together. After re-upping with Sam Bennett last week, the Panthers re-signed both Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand on Monday.

Deal details | Signing grade


Rumors of a Mitch Marner trade popped up during draft weekend, and they came to fruition Monday, as the Maple Leafs inked Marner to an eight-year, $12 million average annual value extension, then traded him to the Golden Knights for Nicolas Roy.

Deal details | Trade grades


The Oilers will not be allowing one of their promising young players to leave via offer sheet, as they signed restricted free agent defenseman Evan Bouchard to a four-year, $10.5 million AAV contract.

Deal details | Signing grade


Veteran defenseman Ivan Provorov would have been one of the most sought-after blueliners on the free agent market. Instead, he’ll be back with the Blue Jackets for the foreseeable future, agreeing to a seven-year, $8.5 million AAV deal.

Deal details | Signing grade

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Springer’s 7 RBIs help Jays pile on Yankees late

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Springer's 7 RBIs help Jays pile on Yankees late

George Springer had a career-high seven RBIs, including his ninth grand slam, and the Toronto Blue Jays celebrated Canada Day by beating the Yankees 12-5 on Tuesday and closing within one game of American League East-leading New York.

The seven RBIs are tied for the second most by any Blue Jays player in a home game, behind Edwin Encarnación (nine RBIs in 2015), according to ESPN Research.

Andrés Giménez had a go-ahead, three-run homer for the Blue Jays, who overcame a 2-0 deficit against Max Fried. After the Yankees tied the score 4-4 in the seventh, Toronto broke open the game in the bottom half against a reeling Yankees bullpen.

Springer went 3-for-4, starting the comeback with a solo homer in the fourth against Fried and boosting the lead to 9-5 with the slam off Luke Weaver after Ernie Clement‘s go-ahead single off shortstop Anthony Volpe‘s glove. Springer has 13 homers this season.

Toronto won the first two games of the four-game series and closed within one game of the Yankees for the first time since before play on April 20.

New York went 2-for-17 with runners in scoring position, dropping to 3-for-24 in the series, while the Blue Jays were 5-for-7. After going 13-14 in June, the Yankees fell to 10-14 against AL East rivals.

The Associate Press contributed to this report.

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Astros’ Alvarez to see hand specialist after setback

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Astros' Alvarez to see hand specialist after setback

DENVER — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has experienced a setback in his recovery from a broken right hand and will see a specialist.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said Alvarez felt pain when he arrived Tuesday at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he had a workout a day earlier. Alvarez also took batting practice Saturday at Daikin Park.

He will be shut down until he’s evaluated by the specialist.

“It’s a tough time going through this with Yordan, but I know that he’s still feeling pain and the soreness in his hand,” Brown said before Tuesday night’s series opener at Colorado, which the Astros won 6-5. “We’re not going to try to push it or force him through anything. We’re just going to allow him to heal and get a little bit more answers as to what steps we take next.”

Alvarez has been sidelined for nearly two months. The injury was initially diagnosed as a muscle strain, but when Alvarez felt pain again while hitting in late May, imaging revealed a small fracture.

The 28-year-old outfielder, who has hit 31 homers or more in each of the past four seasons, had been eyeing a return as soon as this weekend at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now it’s uncertain when he’ll play.

“We felt like he was close because he had felt so good of late,” Brown said, “but this is certainly news that we didn’t want.”

Also Tuesday, the Astros officially placed shortstop Jeremy Peña on the 10-day injured list with a fractured rib and recalled infielder Shay Whitcomb from Triple-A Sugar Land.

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