"ATL ReKap: Braves Secure Chris Sale, Falcons Eye Playoffs with Pro Bowl Honors"

Good evening, everyone, and welcome back to another blog on ATL ReKap. I hope you all are having an amazing day as we are about to close off the 4th day of the New Year.

Atlanta Braves

Some quick news about the Braves. The Braves have signed Chris Sale to a 2-year, $38 million contract with a club option for 2026, the team announced. He is here to stay! Sale's previous deal was for 2024 with an option for 2025. Essentially, Sale gets $17-18M in new guaranteed money. He was due $27.5M - $17.5M this year, $10M deferred for 15 years - and the team held a $20M option for next year. The present value of his salary this season was in the $20-21M range. In the new deal, the Braves guarantee him $16M this year and $22M next year. Atlanta received $17M from Boston in the deal, so the cash will cover his entire salary this season. The Braves clearly believe Sale's performance last season portends well for his future, even as he enters his age-35 season, they get an extra year of control. Chris Sale talked to the media today. He said this is his first normal and healthy offseason in quite a while. He's been throwing bullpens since November, something he said he hasn't been able to do for years.

Atlanta Falcons

Switching gears to the Falcons. Congratulations to Chris Lindstrom and Jessie Bates on being selected for the 2024 Pro Bowl! Jessie Bates III had a total of 128 tackles and 6 interceptions this season, making him a viable player for the Pro Bowl Games.

The Falcons win the division and will get the #4 seed if: the Falcons beat the Saints and if the Panthers beat the Bucs. Yeah, I don’t want this to happen, but it’s still a possibility somehow. How we aren’t eliminated is just a testament to how bad the NFCS is now. Had we beat the Panthers/Bucs/Cardinals/Vikings/Titans, we could’ve already clinched the division. As much as it’d be cool to see a home playoff game, it wouldn’t really feel deserved, and it would almost be 99% guaranteed to be a first-round exit. Stay tuned tomorrow after the Hawks game on ATL ReKap!