Can Chris Sale win another Cy Young? Braves left-hander’s 2026 résumé puts him in the mix

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America is set to hand out the Cy Young Awards for each league Wednesday, and in the National League the debate is centered on whether Chris Sale’s 2026 body of work is strong enough to overcome a deep field of finalists.

Sale, the Braves left-hander, is coming off a season that included a high-end run after an early stumble. According to MLB’s preview of the finalists, he ranked second in the NL in ERA (2.16), third in WHIP (0.98), fourth in strikeouts (200), and sixth in batting average allowed (.215) in 2026.

MLB’s recap of the candidacy points to Sale’s ability to rebound from a rough start: he struggled in his third start by allowing six earned runs over four innings on April 12. After that, MLB reports he posted a 1.96 ERA over his next 24 starts.

Sale’s best single stretch, in the preview’s framing, came late in the season. MLB reports that on Aug. 27 he produced his finest outing of the year, striking out 11 over a five-hit shutout of the Dodgers.

The Cy Young case also ties to milestone dominance. MLB’s finalist preview states that Sale secured his 200th strikeout against the final batter he faced during the regular-season finale against the Reds, joining Randy Johnson as the only left-handed pitchers in MLB history to record nine-plus 200-strikeout seasons.

Sale is not the only National League pitcher with a narrative. MLB’s preview lists Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers) as a frontrunner, describing an NL-leading statistical profile including an MLB-best 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, along with Cristopher Sánchez (Phillies) and his own set of quality-start and innings marks, plus the Braves pitcher’s teammate-level competition for voter attention across the ballot.