This time last year, Alex Anthopoulos was being lauded for not only developing a team on its way to its sixth consecutive NL East victory, but also locking up his core group for the foreseeable future for what most people thought was a steal. It was virtually a running joke in the baseball community: how the hell can Alex Anthopoulos get away with these highway robberies?
However, what supporters fail to recognise is the danger associated in any long-term agreement. Most of these contracts bought out young players’ arbitration years, which would not pay them $20 million per year, in order to gain a few years in the long run.
It is a risk by the organisation that the player will continue to perform at an All-Star level while remaining healthy, but it also serves as a safety net for the athlete, who is now assured generational wealth regardless of what occurs in the near future.
Ronald Acuña Jr. signed an 8-year, $100 million contract with the Braves, a great deal for one of the league’s rising stars. Anthopoulos faced accusations of exploiting Acuña, but after two ACL surgery, the situation has changed.
The Braves would still do the deal 100 percent of the time, as well as the seven-year, $35 million contract they gave Ozzie Albies shortly afterward. However, the rest of these decisions may be regretted.
Matt Olson isn’t living up to the expectations of his 8-year, $168 million contract, which keeps him with the organisation until at least 2029. In a similar vein, the Braves gave Sean Murphy a six-year, $73 million agreement shortly after trading for him last offseason, only for him to essentially become a glorified backup catcher a season later.
Spencer Strider has looked like a superstar when healthy, but he has missed the entire season less than a year after signing a six-year, $75 million contract extension with the Braves last year. That deal may look dreadful if he is unable to recover from his second ruptured UCL in his career, while Michael Harris’ eight-year, $72 million contract no longer appears to be a slam dunk following his problems this season.
That is not to imply that all of these contracts will turn out to be horrible deals in the long run, but it only takes a couple of them to put the Braves in a difficult situation. This isn’t a club like the Dodgers with unlimited money, so they won’t have much room to manoeuvre in free agency. The Braves rely heavily on this core bunch to get the job done. They have yet to come close, and things will only grow more tough if Max Fried leaves in free agency.
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