What’s up with teams locking down major extensions at the Trade Deadline for players who weren’t going to be traded? I guess it could be a coincidence, or it could be about an organization wanting to know some long-term financials before they make any other big additions.
So you had Joe Musgrove and the Padres locking down an extension earlier today, and now it’s a MONSTER extension for the Braves and Austin Riley:
Riley, 25, has BLOWN UP over the last year and a half (he’s hitting .301/.360/.604/163 wRC+ this season), and although he was under team control for another 3.5 years, the Braves wanted to lock him up. To do so, it costs them a MASSIVE guarantee for a guy that far away from free agency, but if Riley continues to be anything close to what he’s shown, it could wind up a steal.
So now the Braves have Riley, Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr, and Ozzie Albies all locked down long-term.