Atlanta Braves Give Austin Riley Biggest Contract In Club History

Austin Riley has hit his first home run off the field.

With most of the baseball world absorbed by the pending Tuesday trade deadline, the star third baseman of the Atlanta Braves signed the biggest deal in team history.

It’s a 10-year contract worth $212 million that carries him through the 2032 campaign. There’s also a $20 million club option for 2033.

As play began Monday, Riley led the majors with 61 extra-base hits, including 29 home runs, in 101 games. He also had a .301 batting average and .964 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

A first-time All-Star this year, Riley is also considered a candidate for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award, won by Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper a year ago. With Nolan Arenado in the league, he might not win a Gold Glove but his defense has improved as dramatically as his hitting.

As part of his new deal, Riley agreed to give $2.12 million to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.

His contract extension – a surprise since Riley was under club control for three more years — takes effect in 2023.

A first-round amateur draft choice in 2015, Riley has had a roller-coaster ride during his brief career. Plagued by frequent strikeouts and erratic defense in his early going, he finally blossomed in 2021, when he finished with a .303 average, 33 homers, and 107 runs batted in while appearing in 160 games, more than any other National League third baseman.

He had two more home runs during Atlanta’s successful post-season run and then finished seventh in the voting for National League MVP.

The 6-3, 240-pound right-handed slugger capped a strong July performance with a game-ending double Sunday that drove home the only run in a Truist Park decision over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The ninth-inning hit against Mark Melancon broke Hank Aaron’s club record for most extra-base hits in a month (it was Riley’s 26th).

With Riley locked up for the next decade, the only Atlanta infielder without a long-term deal is shortstop Dansby Swanson. First baseman Matt Olson, acquired in March, and second baseman Ozzie Albies, idled at the moment by a fractured foot, both are playing on extended deals, as is star right-fielder Ronald Acuña, Jr.

Riley, Albies, and Acuña have yet to reach their 25th birthdays, underlining the team’s philosophy in building a long-term contender by doling out multi-year contracts to talented young players.

The Braves would also like to sign Swanson, one of six Braves selected for the 2022 All-Star team, but face a formidable task because his agent previously represented Freddie Freeman during failed contract negotiations in March. Freeman, who spent his entire 12-year career with the Braves, wound up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Braves obtained Olson from the Oakland Athletics to play first base.

Riley’s new deal, negotiated by ALIGNIGN
D Sports Agency, pays him $15 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024, and then $22 million per year through 2032.

The largest investment in Atlanta franchise history, Riley’s extension is the second-biggest for a player with 2-3 years of service, trailing only the 14-year, $340 million deal given to Fernando Tatis, Jr. by the San Diego Padres.

But the Braves, owned by the Denver-based Liberty Media, can afford it after finishing second in home attendance last year, enjoying a world championship season, and raising substantial revenue from The Battery, a team-owned array of baseball-related businesses adjacent to the suburban Atlanta ballpark.

The team’s current payroll stands at a club-record $177 million, according to Cot’s Sports Contracts, but is expected to drop next year as the salaries of several veterans drop off the books.

Starting pitchers Kyle Wright, Spencer Strider, and Ian Anderson won’t become arbitration eligible until at least 2024, with rookie center-fielder Michael Harris II in the same situation.

The Big Three of Riley, Albies, and Acuña, Jr. are signed through at least 2027, if club options are exercised. All are 25 or younger.