Acuna is now the youngest player in MLB history to sign a contract worth at least $100MGETTY IMAGES
The Braves and LF Ronald Acuna Jr. finalized an eight-year, $100M deal, marking the "second largest contract in franchise history," behind 1B Freddie Freeman's $135M deal in '14, according to Gabriel Burns of the ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION. The contract "includes two club options" worth $17M each and a $10M buyout. Acuna would have reached free agency in '24, but the new extension "provided him with security while giving the Braves an apparent team-friendly deal." Acuna since joining the Braves three weeks into the '18 season has 165 days of service time, which makes his new deal "by far the largest guarantee for a player with less than a year of time." The deal is already being "viewed as a tremendous win for the Braves." The "cherry on top was the two modestly priced option years" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/3). ESPN.com's Jeff Passan noted the 21-year-old Acuna becomes the "youngest player in baseball history to sign a contract worth at least" $100M (ESPN.com, 4/2).
WORTH EVERY PENNY: THE ATHLETIC's Jeff Schultz wrote the Braves yesterday "did the right thing" by giving Acuna an extension. This was a "smart move" and shows the team's "willingness to spend and an understanding of what's most important." Braves Exec VP & GM Alex Anthopoulos approached Braves Chair Terry McGuirk about his plan to sign Acuna to a long-term deal, given McGuirk and Braves owner Liberty Media "must approve any major budget decision." McGuirk and Liberty Media "gave the go-ahead" and negotiations "moved quicker than Anthopoulos expected" (THEATHLETIC.com, 4/2). In Atlanta, Michael Cunningham wrote the Acuna deal is the "right kind of risk" for the Braves. Acuna probably is worth $12.5M per year "even if he gets no better." The Braves were "willing to give" Acuna the $100M extension now because his potential is "off the charts" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/3). In St. Louis, Jeff Gordon notes the Braves get to keep their "most marketable star under control for a decade ... for a tiny fraction of what he'd make on the open market" (STLTODAY.com, 4/3). In N.Y., Benjamin Hoffman writes under the header, "Ronald Acuna Jr. Is A $100 Million Bargain" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/3).
THE NEW REALITY: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale notes Acuna's deal "follows on the heels of several players signing extensions this spring before reaching free agency," the most recent being Red Sox SS Xander Bogaerts receiving a $120M extension on Monday (USA TODAY, 4/3). Author Wayne Coffey said players signing long-term extensions "can no longer be seen as an anomaly." Coffey: "This is the way it's working, and it’s going to have massive implications for free agency. A lot of players were scared off by how long it took Machado and Harper to sign, and they’re just taking it when they can get it. Just one after another. It's not spring season, it's extension season” (“MLB Now,” MLB Network, 4/2).
