One day after trading for him, the Atlanta Braves announced a contract extension for first baseman Matt Olson.
Atlanta is signing him to a mammoth eight-year, $168 million deal.
The pact also has a $20 million option for 2030.
The talented slugger will make $15 million this season, $21 million in 2023, and $22 million per year until 2029.
Olson, still 27 years old, hit .271/.371/.540 with 39 homers, 101 runs, and 111 RBI last year.
Braves’ president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos referred to the extension as “exceptionally exciting”.
"Exceptionally exciting."
Alex Anthopoulos announces Matt Olson's eight-year, $168 million contract extension. pic.twitter.com/ipqDuob7jv
— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) March 15, 2022
Getting out of Oakland was, for Olson, the best thing that could happen financially:
Matt Olson’s contract extension ($168 million) is quite comparable to the A’s team payroll from their last two full seasons combined ($176 million).
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) March 15, 2022
Olson was a fan favorite in Oakland, someone who could (and still can) provide power and patience at the plate, and good defense with a glove on his hand.
Olson Has Been Welcomed In Atlanta
And Braves fans, despite the fact he is coming to replace a franchise icon in Freddie Freeman, are welcoming him to town.
Several observers and fans pointed out the fact that the team got a pretty good deal for Olson, considering his market value.
That Olson contract is a real bargain for the Braves. An AAV just over $20M for a potential 6 WAR player is unreal. The Braves did extremely well in this trade considering the extension.
— SFA has never lost to Duke in men's basketball (@SanAntonioTim) March 15, 2022
As they showed with the Ronald Acuna Jr. and the Ozzie Albies extensions, they have a knack for getting discounts when talking with their own players.
The Braves’ front office is hoping that Olson can remain an impactful player over the course of the contract.
He has a chance to do that, but it will depend on how he ages.
It became clear this week that they weren’t going to pay $30 million+ to bring in Freeman.
They didn’t want to pay for the latter years of his career.
The Olson extension makes me feel signigicantly better about Fredddie, but I still won’t be ready to see him in some other team’s uniform 😢
— Ben Smith (@bates_vfl) March 15, 2022
They are, instead, taking less of a risk with Olson, who is younger and a better defender at this point.
Fans are happy with Olson, but Freeman will be missed.
