The Braves announced they’ve signed star third baseman Austin Riley to a ten-year, $212MM contract extension. Riley will make $15MM next season, $21MM in 2024, then $22MM annually through 2032. The deal also contains a 2033 club option valued at $20MM. Riley is a client of ALIGND Sports Agency.
It’s a stunning, out-of-the-blue development that keeps a franchise pillar around for the long haul. The deal buys out the 25-year-old’s final three seasons of arbitration eligibility and extends the club’s window of control by as much as eight years. It locks him in Atlanta for virtually the entirety of his prime, as Riley won’t hit free agency until after his age-35 campaign at the earliest.
A former supplemental first-round pick, Riley quickly blossomed into one of the organization’s top prospects. He reached the majors not long after his 22nd birthday in 2019. Riley was up-and-down for the first couple seasons of his big league career, particularly when he struck out in over 36% of his plate appearances as a rookie. Atlanta stuck with him despite that early inconsistency, however, and they’ve been rewarded since Riley broke out last year.
He appeared in 160 games, blasting 33 home runs with a .303/.367/.531 line. That marks a career-high in longballs to date, but that marker won’t remain his personal best much longer. He’s already connected on 29 homers in 436 plate appearances this season, and he’s hitting .301/.360/.604 altogether. Riley’s pure slash line isn’t much changed from 2021 to ’22, but his slight improvement in bottom line results comes at a time when the league-wide offense has plummeted. By measure of wRC+, Riley’s offensive output has jumped from an already excellent 35 points above average to an eye-popping 63 points above par.
Among qualified hitters, only Yordan Álvarez, Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, Rafael Devers and Mike Trout have a better wRC+ this season. That’s reinforced by batted ball metrics than place Riley among the game’s elite bats. His 93.7 MPH average exit velocity is more than five MPH above the league average. His 55.9% hard contact rate is also among the league’s best, as is his 17.6% barrel rate. Simply put, few batters hit the ball as hard as Riley does frequently.
Of course, Riley’s power has never really been in question. His issue earlier in his career was in making contact, but the Mississippi native has made huge strides in that regard. After making contact on only 63% of his swings as a rookie, Riley has gotten the bat on the ball around 73% of the time in each of the last three seasons. That’s not great, but it’s more than sufficient for a player with his power production. Riley still has an aggressive approach and goes out of the strike zone a fair amount, but his excellent batted ball results make up for what may always be a slightly lower than average walk rate.
Going back to the start of 2021, Riley owns a .302/.364/.560 slash in just under 1100 plate appearances. He looks like a bona fide slugger, and the Braves are surely happy to lock him into the middle of the lineup for the next decade. Riley earned a Silver Slugger Award and finished seventh in NL MVP voting last year, and he picked up his first of what the club envisions to be many All-Star nods this season.
The Braves have now committed to 75% of their infield over the long-term. Atlanta signed Matt Olson to an eight-year, $168MM deal within days of acquiring him from the Athletics in Spring Training. They’d previously had Ozzie Albies signed affordably through 2025 (with club options for 2026 and ’27). That leaves Dansby Swanson as the lone member of the Atlanta infield not under contract for the foreseeable future, as the shortstop is set to hit free agency at the end of this year.
Atlanta also has Ronald Acuña Jr. under contract for the bulk of the decade, giving them a young position player core around which to build. In the estimation of Jason Martinez of Roster Resource, the club’s 2023 payroll jumps to around $113MM (not including salaries for arbitration-eligible players). They’re around $87MM for 2024 and between $60MM and $70MM for the following two years. Atlanta’s 2022 payroll, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, is a franchise-record $177.7MM. That should leave them some flexibility to re-sign or replace Swanson, particularly since key contributors like Michael Harris II, Kyle Wright, Spencer Strider and Ian Anderson won’t reach arbitration until at least 2024. It’s a strong long-term position for president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his staff as they look to build off last year’s World Series title and construct a long-term juggernaut.
As Buster Olney of ESPN points out (Twitter link), Riley’s extension goes down as the largest investment in Atlanta franchise history. It’s the second-largest extension ever for a player with between two and three years of MLB service, trailing only Fernando Tatis Jr.’s 14-year, $340MM megadeal. Among other players in that service bucket, only future Hall of Famers Mike Trout and Buster Posey signed deals that even topped nine figures. It’s a strong gesture of faith on the organization’s part, then, but it also has the potential to be a bargain. Riley’s flat $22MM salaries for what would be seven free agent seasons would be a very team-friendly figure, with players of his caliber often approaching or topping $30MM annually on free agent deals.
Such is the nature of early-career extensions. Riley sacrifices some long-term earnings upside for up-front guaranteed money, and he’ll receive quite a bit more in 2023 than he would’ve had he proceeded through arbitration. Riley reached arbitration for the first time last winter as a Super Two player and received a $3.95MM salary. An MVP-caliber showing would’ve earned him a notable raise next winter, but next year’s salary certainly still wouldn’t have approached $15MM. By paying a bit more up-front, the Braves give themselves further longer-term flexibility with essentially flat salaries for the bulk of the contract thereafter.
While it’s not an external pickup, Riley’s extension will quite likely go down as the Braves biggest move of deadline season. They’ve committed to yet another star young player to bolster a long-term core that should have them as consistent competitors in the NL East for years to come.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Nice job Braves. Well run franchise.
Just a couple years ago lots of Braves fans wanted Riley traded. Not me though. This is a good deal for the Braves. Riley seems to be getting better all the time.
You notice Boras isn’t his agent.
yeah, it’s tough because from the MLBPA and moving salaries standpoint. Boras has done wonders for this, but he is an ego manic that has damaged and ruined the chances for a more competitive market for smaller market teams.
His job is not to make for a more competitive market for smaller market teams but to get the most money for his individual clients. If ALL of his clients sign with the Yankees or Dodgers because those teams out pay everyone else, then Boras is doing his job.
Great move. Most quietly underrated player in baseball.
He’s massively rated, come on. He’s one of the best players in the league. A truly elite superstar.
Kyle Tucker, Jonah Heim and Ty France are the most underrated players in baseball. Austin Riley is not viewed like they are.
massively rated? lol, that’s not a thing that people say.
He was a last minute addition to the All-Star game.
There might be other players more underrated than him, but that doesn’t mean he’s not.
@A’sfan. I never hear much of anything about Riley when I watch sports programming.
That’s because the Braves manager selected other braves before him.
Managers don’t choose A-S players any more.
Back to back dark horse MVP candidate the last two seasons signed for $20 mil for the next 10 years? Yeah I’ll take that any day.
Jonah Heim!?! Lol. Cmon man. Having a decent season, but most underrated?
What’s this do for Devers expected value? Riley is better defensively. Will it bring his ask to a reasonable amount?
Nah!
Love it !!! />/>/>/>
Either gonna be a bust or age great. I think it will age great.
I agree. It is a great third baseman. It hits well. It should win player of the month.
The contract will age.
Huge discounted salaries during his prime years. So what if they have to overpay for the last couple of years…
When his deal expires in ten years, $20 million/year will get you a utility infielder or back of the bullpen arm.
Yes, time is illusive. The contract will indeed age.
I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment’s gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind
Not if the bat doesn’t. Moving to DH doesn’t mean an L.
Best song ever from the band Kansas.
Well, yeah. Surplus value early, deficit later – value meets in the middle.
“It”? Nice to know you have a close relationship with the human race…
It puts the lotion on its skin…
Or age just normally. Now we have all the possible outcomes.
As long as he doesn’t get hurt or forgets how to it, pretty nice bargain. Pretty much in the sweet spot for a team saving money and a player avoiding risk. Both sides wish they could do better but it was best for them.
Braves contenders for years to come.
Smart
Smart move!
Great news. Now give Dansby 5/$100.
@bhambrave Or maybe a little more!!
Maybe. I have the feeling Dansby would give a hometown discount.
Every player on the team has given a home town discount. How about paying the value for once.
@mets: I do believe I detected a bit of jealousy in that comment
You’re frustrated about Lindor still, and Max and DeGrom, right?
Just goes to show that the Braves are a close knit group who want to play in Atlanta together.
Overhyped.
Great insight. Thanks for that
lol
Actually the opposite. Dude puts up MVP numbers and people outside of ATL think he’s a bench player. Riley’s legit. I actually think the Donaldson signing lit a fire under him and we see the type of production he’s put up since taking over 3B. He’s not Arenado with the glove, but a solid 3B with great arm. Corner infield is locked up for a while!
Holy crap!!! That might be the most casual 10 year extension I’ve ever seen.
ho hum, just another team friendly deal for the Braves.
Why shouldn’t it be team friendly? They draft the guy who didn’t want to pitch that all the other teams said was a pitcher, they develop him into a solid third baseman when everyone said he couldn’t stick at third, they had patience with him through his struggles. Why in the world isn’t that worth something to the player?
Because he’s a top ten player in the league and should be payed as such.
1/4 of a billion, and you @Metsfan think he isn’t appreciated. The team is taking the risk, and showing confidence in him.
They drafted him at third when all the clubs had him as a pitcher, were patient through his struggles and developed him into a solid third baseman when the league said he wouldn’t stick at third. You think players don’t want to feed off that confidence?
Austin profiles like an Eddie Matthew’s. He has big power. If he stays healthy (which the DH nearly ensures) and comfortable on his team, he’s going to be an all time top player.
Excellent!!!!
Padres fans say “You’re welcome” for him.
Why?
Braves got a competitive balance pick from the Pads and used it on Riley:
If that’s the case then still waiting on that thank you from LAA for Trout.
Nailed it
The Braves drafted him with a compensation pick they got from San Diego as part of the Kimbrell and BJ Upton trade.
They also got Max Fried from the Padres as part of the Justin Upton trade.
Thanks for Max Fried as well!
The Braves must treat their players like kings. How do you get so many players to sign team friendly deals?
Never seen anything like it. Freddie, Acuna, Albeis, this dude, the first baseman. Never seen so many players be more proactive to sign long term deals. They are doing it right.
If only we’d re-signed Freddie…
@bham. It’s pretty obvious that Freddie wishes that as well. I bet he’d like a “do-over” on his last free agency go round. Matt Olson will do fine as a replacement though.
Most of the homeless situation is due to drug or alcohol addiction. It’s hard for most people to keep a job and be a addict. Although I did have a neighbor once who had the same jobs for over a dozen years and managed to drink 18-24 beers just about every night. Surprisingly he was a skinny guy as well.
@dad: Agree with all you said.
Chipper tried to tell him, and he wouldn’t listen.
As a Cubs fan kinda jealous, but then I look at how Bryant, Baez and Rizzo are collectively doing plus what they turned down and are making and we lucky to not be saddled right now.
Rizzo isn’t really making the type of money that would saddle a team and he’s producing. Baez and Bryant yes Rizzo no.
Lol Rizzo is an important player on that NYY team. Bryant and baez struggling, they can and will turn it around–I also remember when Schwarbs had one bad year and everyone called for him to be dumped, and he was. Now he is killing it. The Cubs FO is an ugly failure and they should all be canned.
@sideline
Schwarber’s hit some HRs and walks. He also clogs the bases and has no range. He can’t hit for average. Not my definition of “killing it”. Add 40 pts to his ave. And he’d be in Adam Dunn territory.
Bet Acuna feels bad. What he extend for 100M?
Acuna’s getting 134 with the 2 option years.
And he’s getting worse every year, plus his attitude sucks. Braves might actually move him for the right deal.
Acuna was tearing it up last year and carried the Braves before he got hurt. Not really a fair assessment at this point imo
Acuna is not going anywhere. Top five talent in the game.
Chi-Sox have that too. Moncada, TA, Robert, Eloy. Difference is they have all played together for about 3 games in 3 years.
I’ve always heard the guys like the city itself. I’ve never been that big of a fan of it. Then again I’m not mega rich.
By offering them the option of large amount of guaranteed money or playing for the next 4 to 6 years and hoping you are as good as you think and stay healthy. Don’t draft or sign players with Boras type agents to increase your odds.
This is just it. Everyone thinks these deals are always great for the team, but some players bust within a year or two and some are only ok(but probably worth the money) and some are huge bargains.
The gamble is really on the teams part, because when they don’t work out it hurts far more than a player missing out on a couple more million when you are already bringing home the lottery.
All that being said, I am really glad they extended him from a fans perspective, but also for Riley as he deserves it.
It’s still a gamble on the players part. It’s just not as big of a gamble as the team makes. Soto’s desired contract of 29 million plus a year would be substantially higher than the Acuna deal that’s 17 million a year. 12 million dollars a year is no chump change.
Yes!!!
wow. did not see that coming. scared of the last couple years of the deal but if Riley continues to develop this is a steal.
Twenty million in ten years is not going to hurt any team.
And millions of Americans live in their cars or in tents on the street because they cannot afford rent. What a country
Yes, it’s a great country. With a little hard work and discipline, anyone can succeed.
First sentence, true. Second sentence, maybe a tad naive.
Who are you kidding? The hardest workers in this country are usually the poorest. This country rewards entertainers (including athletes), investors, and executives far more than laborers.
Yes comrade
I was one of those laborers. I turned out ok.
So when a player spends ten hours a day busting his butt to get good enough to go pro and laborers skipped school to party they shouldn’t be rewarded?
If you make smarter choices earlier in life, you stand a better chance at succeeding. Perhaps not on the level of a $200M+ contract but having a career that pays the bills and gives you some sense of pride and accomplishment.
Maybe they should have learned how to play baseball.
because they choose not to work and expect the government to bailed them out.
Are you constantly on brain altering chemicals?
We see a lot of military veterans with post traumatic stress syndrome, shell shock, drug addiction and mental illness in our emergency room every day and all of them are on the streets.
As a 100% disabled veteran l will tell you there are tons of programs out there and any homeless vet is because they choose it.
Open borders and a free drug trade will do that.
Open boarders, yes. One of the many things Republicans say that is a complete myth that you need to be afraid of. Don’t forget all the democrats eating children, Jewish space lasers setting Forrest fires and lizard people. Oh but I’m sure you think the flat earth society are just a bunch of crazies, right?
Classic Liberal move. Take a fact (open borders) and ridicule it until people think it’s false.
why is that Austin Riley’s problem? most of the ones that live in intense don’t want to go get a job and want to sit there and be taken care of by the government for their f****** life
Stay off the juice and get to work lots of hiring
Pound sand with the victim talk
Someone commented above and said Riley is overhyped. I can’t disagree with that sentiment more. Riley is probably one of the most underrated players currently who flys under the radar like Paul Goldschmidt, David Peralta, Zack Wheeler, etc
6 time all star, 4x gold glove recipient, and former MVP runner up Paul Goldschmidt? Under the radar?
because he doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves that’s what they mean under the radar he doesn’t play for New York or LA
But Peralta isn’t in the same category of the other two—not even close.
Yeah Peralta isn’t as good as Goldy but I’m saying there’s certain players, most of whom get overlooked or not talked about as frequently as others just because they’re on lower market teams. Joey Votto comes to mind, even though everyone knows he’s a likely HOFer, he never gets media attention because he’s on the Reds. Class act, just doesn’t get enough attention as he should
He just got $200 mill. He is gets the recognition he deserves.
Hold on! Goldschmidt and Wheeler “fly under the radar?” And you put David Peralta in that echelon. Doesn’t make any sense. But I’ll agree that Riley is an excellent player and if he keeps it up, he’s worth that contract. Braves lock up their best players early and it makes sense.
This is smart, instead of waiting for arb to run out we go ahead and give him and annual 21,100,000 salary will save us cash in the long run
Well, people were hoping for big move(s) this week. This might be the last one.
Nice saves us money in the long with an annual 21 Mil instead of 30 mil a few years from now if they waited for an extension
wOw
Red Sox have a new comparable contract for Devers…. thank you Braves.
Revere will get over $300 mil. The Braves are the only ones that get huge discounts.
Revere is more important to the history of Boston, in fairness.
Darn auto-corretc.
Nice job Braves!!! Crazy it’s more than Acuna but he’s playing like an mvp right now
And Acuna went through July hitting like a DFA candidate. Sure hope he turns it around soon.
Now lock up lt dans
Braves fans: Can we please get a trade?
Braves: Austin Riley is struggling to pay rent first
Wow oh wow
I think it is too soon to tell if he is overhyped. Breakout year last year… before that below medicore…. he’s young and 10 years is a long time to a sorta unproven player… but the AAV isn’t terrible
Now lock up Blooper and The Freeze!
Great move! This let’s fans know that there has been a plan in place and it’s playing out. Everyone from the front office, the players and owners are invested in winning. Just gotta trust the captain at the healm.
Mets needs to be doing this with Pete Alonso. Now.
Pete’s paycheck just went up.
That’s a lotta scratch.
Way underpaid. Bad deal by agent.
What does this leave for Dansby?
An Uber to ATL and a promotion for Vaughn Grissom?
Jansen, Smith and Duvall are all FA’s next year. That frees up $37M.
so is dansby
Wow. What a day.
Good for him! Austin Riley got his big payday after some serious struggles and many doubters following his first two years with the Braves. He’s now putting up the kind of numbers White Sox fans expected out of their own third baseman, Yoan Moncada.
Hey, Yoan. No time like the present to finally make good on your own contract extension from March of 2020!
He’s improved every single year since he was called up 3 seasons ago. There’s no down side to him so far.
Wow!!!!!! Lock these dudes up. Keep Swanson in a Braves jersey!
Great job AA now extend Dansby!! I’m wondering what other surprises AA has up his sleeve? I’m wondering if Ozuna has been in any trade talks?
You guys calling about Joc?
Love it!
Yes, this is a team friendly deal IF Riley continues to perform as he has this year and last year. But virtually every player has injuries, off years, declines with age, etc. So, it’s a compromise. Riley gets security, Braves get cost certainty.
He’s 25 years old.
Did not see this coming, but love it as a Braves fan. Would love to see them lock down Fried next. Great move by the Braves.
Freddie could have taken a page out of this book
He did. They signed him to a long-term deal…just not long enough. The Braves had no interest in signing Freeman. They pretended. Their target was Olson all along.
Freddie did the first time, his original eight year extension was much like this one. Why he decided to FAFO with his free agency I’ll never understand.
Fantastic! The Braves have locked up another young superstar. Good job AA.
Also the Braves can spend more because the World Series win has fans excited. Top 4 in attendance so far.
Universal DH allows NL teams to jump into these commitments more easily. Good for him Riley to secure his future.
Arguably the news of the day
I put it last on the list. Great news long-term for the Braves and to future generations of Riley’s, but no impact on the postseason races now.
Albies , Acuna, Olson, and Riley locked up through at least 2028 for a combined ~63M AAV — Ok Braves
And that’s how’s you keep a good strong core. I wish the Yankees would take this approach more.
Further pissing off Albies and Acuna …
How? No one put a gun to their head. They signed their contract.
Acuna got to cash his full paycheck in July while slugging .280, so I don’t think he’s got any room to complain.
LOVE IT!!!! Riley, Acuna, Ozzie, Olsen!! The team has 4 legit hitters for a long time! Now team control of Harris for a good bit and Wilson Contreras! Legit!
Wild how Albies and Acuna letting the Braves rip them off on their longterm deals is going to directly cause them to win so many titles. The owners of the Braves better give them massive bonuses.
Multigenerational wealth for their families. I don’t think they’re complaining.
Hi
I’d say that he earned that extension but like on BÝR I might get trolled because I said he earned it over him deserving of it.
“The deal buys out the 25-year-old’s final three seasons of arbitration eligibility…”
—-
The deal buys out his career.
Sign Dansby to a 4 year deal. He wants to stay in Atlanta, and he saw firsthand what happens when you choose money over desired location – regret.
Once again the Braves get away with paying under market value for one of there better players. Albies, Acuna Olson now Riley. I guess Boras doesn’t represent any of these guys.
Building a team & culture players want to be a part of.
Rebound whiplash to losing Freeman?
Kudos to Riley, great player.
The Kimbrel trade didn’t look too good during rebuild. Padres acquired Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton. In return the Padres sent Cameron Maybin, Carlos Quentin, Matt Wisler, Jordan Paroubeck, and a 2015 competitive balance round A pick.
The draft pick turned out to be Austin Riley
Nice you brought this up. Kimbrel is a good example of what I said earlier regarding the Hader trade. Closers are never worth keeping and they are volatile. Trading Heyward was also the right move. As much as people don’t want to hear it, Acuna will be traded at some point too unless he keeps losing value in the next few years.
Kimbrel was arguably the best closer in baseball at the time of that trade. Braves got very very little for him in terms of players. There was hope for Wisler, but he fizzled. Part of the trade included the Upton salary dump. All that said, most people including me considered it to be one of the worst trades of the rebuild. Not because a bad team should keep Kimbrel but because Braves should have gotten more for Kimbrel.
BUT Braves pulled it out by using the draft pick on Riley. That pick turned the trade from a bad one to a very good one.
Great job AA. Now get us a outfielder. Michael Tucker will be fine. Always watched him close when he was in DC. Right-handed Michael Harris.
Now lock down Swanson
LFG!
If Riley gets a 10 year extension worth 212 million, what does Devers agree to with the Sox? They’re the same age, same position
This Mets fan says congrats. Terrific deal for a terrific player. Teach us how to get team friendly deals done please. Lol. Braves throwing it down for years to come. Kudos.
Happy for Riley, but this is likely to be a bad contract for Atlanta… so tired of seeing deals of this length being normalized
HAHAHAHA, how is it going to be a bad contract? In 3 years this is what platoon bats on corner IF spots will be making.
braves did excellent job in signing Riley go braves ⚾
Wow, Haters are out today boys! The culture and support these dudes get at Truist is off the charts! Freeman came back and they showed him that southern hospitality with numerous round of applause and appreciation. Players want to play in the A. Good on Riley, no doubt he left some dollars on the table especially if he keeps mashing like he currently is but he WANTS to be in ATL so I’m all for it. Next Jersey I get hands down a Riley!
The franchises next Chipper Jones