Braves Sign Matt Olson To Massive Extension

The Matt Olson era in Atlanta is off and running. The Atlanta Braves refused to give Freddie Freeman the long-term deal he was looking for, but have jumped all over locking up their new first baseman Olson with an 8-year, $168M extension. 

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

As Jeff Passan of ESPN notes, Olson still had two years of team control, but the Braves weren't waiting around. They're convinced already.

Breakdown on Olson: $15M in 2022, $21M in ‘23, $22M from ‘24 to ‘29. This is an extension, not a free-agent deal. Olson had two years of arbitration remaining. Gets roughly $140M to $145M in free-agent years.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 15, 2022

Ken Rosenthal breaks down the 8-year deal, which includes a slight raise for Olson in 2022, $15M compared to the $12M he was scheduled to make, then that bumps way up to $21M in 2023, and $24M per year for the balance of the deal through 2029.

Olson's performance in 2021 compared more than favorably to Freeman's, and at 4 years younger than Freeman (28 vs. 32), the Braves felt more than comfortable making the commitment to the Atlanta native.  

Matt Olson’s 2021:

39 HR, 111 RBI, .911 OPS, 5.8 bWAR

Freddie Freeman’s 2021:

31 HR, 83 RBI, .896 OPS, 4.7 bWAR

A lot of people won’t be happy, but Matt Olson was better than Freddie Freeman in 2021. This is a huge addition to the lineup! #Braves

— Chop Oñ (@13ChopOn13) March 14, 2022