The Atlanta Braves made all the headlines on Monday after their acquisition of first baseman Matt Olson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.
They surrendered four of their best prospects to get a deal done: catcher Shea Langeliers, outfielder Cristian Pache, and pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes.
The transaction also made a lot of noise in social media because it all but took the Braves out of the running for free agent first baseman Freddie Freeman.
Atlanta also made the news on Tuesday, regarding Olson.
They decided to lock him up to a long-term deal: yes, the thing they couldn’t (or didn’t want to) do with Freeman.
“Not only does Atlanta have a new 1B in Matt Olson, it’s going to have him for a long, long time. Olson and the Braves have agreed on an eight-year, $168 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Atlanta locks up the hometown kid two years before he was due to hit the market,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.
Not only does Atlanta have a new 1B in Matt Olson, it’s going to have him for a long, long time. Olson and the Braves have agreed on an eight-year, $168 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Atlanta locks up the hometown kid two years before he was due to hit the market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 15, 2022
Olson Is A Very Talented Player
Olson, indeed, is four years younger than Freeman, and remains a plus defender in the cold corner.
With the bat, he carries plenty of thump.
In 2021, Olson had a career year with Oakland, hitting 39 home runs and slashing .271/.371/.540 with 5.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR).
He doesn’t have quite the batting average upside of Freeman, but he is slightly more powerful at this point and a better defender, too.
He doesn’t have the history Freeman has in Atlanta, though, and overall, Freeman remains, arguably, the better pure hitter.
Olson, however, is the one who is getting the big contract from Atlanta, and all parties decided to move on.
He is a very talented player who will help the Braves extend their postseason success.
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