Braves sign Matt Olson to eight-year, $168 million extension

A day after trading for Matt Olson, the Braves have locked him up long-term, handing out a sizable extension to the Atlanta native:

Olson earns a decent, 20 percent raise over his would-be arbitration salaries for the next two years (estimated at around $12 million and $18 million). In exchange, he forgoes free agency and gives the Braves six more years of control at $132 million. There’s an additional club option (no information provided on the buyout, there may not be any) for the 2030 season worth another $20 million.

There’ll certainly be more to come, as the Braves have sallied forth a pretty bold set of moves to define them in their post-2021 World Series championship era. Stay tuned for more coverage of Olson’s introduction, and likely statements from the Front Office and perhaps Olson himself.

Olson was acquired on Monday in exchange for Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers, Ryan Cusick, and Joey Estes to fill the void left by the presumably-departing Freddie Freeman.