MLB Star’s Contract Extension Sets Precedent and Adds Pressure on Braves
Critics within the baseball community have raised concerns about the Atlanta Braves’ aggressive approach to early career contract extensions for their young talents. Now, a recent contract extension in the same realm has the potential to complicate matters for Atlanta down the line.
The Houston Astros recently inked a five-year, $125 million contract extension with their second baseman, José Altuve. This deal is likely to keep Altuve with the Astros for the remainder of his career and carries significant implications for Atlanta’s second baseman, Ozzie Albies.
Altuve, at 33, boasts an impressive career batting average of .307, with eight All-Star appearances, an American League MVP title in 2017, and two World Series championships. His extension not only solidifies his legacy but also sets a new benchmark for second basemen in baseball, becoming the first to surpass $300 million in career earnings.
However, this development spells trouble for the Braves. Albies’ value has now surged.
Albies, currently in the sixth year of a seven-year, $35 million contract extension signed in April 2019, was merely 22 at the time. Despite this being his first full season in the majors, during which he earned his maiden All-Star nod with a batting average of .261/.305/.452, hitting 24 homers and scoring 105 runs, the extension has since been widely criticized across baseball circles as the Braves capitalizing on a young player.
For now, Atlanta is in no rush to renegotiate Albies’ contract, as they hold two club options for 2026 and 2027, priced at $7 million each, which would keep Albies until his age 30 season. However, when the time comes for a new deal at age 30, it’s expected to come at a significantly higher cost.
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