The Atlanta Braves’ aggressive contract strategy is to lock up young stars in big deals early in their careers. But sitting with a 39-46 record and 11 games behind the NL East Division leaders, the Phillies, this strategy has been questioned: Have the team’s youngsters gotten too comfortable with the massive paychecks?
Former Braves Hall of Famer Andruw Jones’ first reaction? It was mixed.
What is the Atlanta Braves’ Contract Extension Strategy?
Atlanta’s front office tends to move fast, handing out long-term contracts to players, even to those just months into their MLB debut.
Why? To avoid the costs of arbitration. From Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies to Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II, the Braves have locked up key players well before arbitration even becomes a factor.
Here are some of the contracts in question:
- Ronald Acuna Jr: 8-year, $100 million signed till 2026
- Matt Olson: 8-year, $168 million signed till 2029
- Ozzie Albies: 7-year, $35 million signed till 2025
- Austin Riley: 10-year, $212 million signed till 2032
- Michael Harris II: 8-year, $72 million signed till 2030
- Spencer Strider: 6-year, $75 million signed till 2028
Braves Great on Atlanta’s Questionable Long-Term Deals
Jones, a Braves HOF, was speaking on a Foul Territory segment about whether Atlanta made a mistake by committing to multiple long-term deals for their young stars.
“Yes and no, to be honest with you,” he said. “The contracts these guys are signing – they’re pretty decent for everybody. But it’s not like it’s a deal for the whole company.”
“You get a lot of young guys, and that’s good. I think maybe we moved a little too quickly on a couple of them,” he added without taking any names.
While there are players such as Acuna Jr. and Albies, who have clearly outperformed their contracts, there are also those who might have become a risk with long-term deals.
Did the Braves allow their young guys to get too comfortable by freely handing out extensions?@AndruwJones25 can see both sides of the argument… pic.twitter.com/kLABUl4HXs
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 1, 2025
The Braves extended Harris II after just 70 games in the big leagues. While he won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2022, he has struggled in 2025, slugging at .217/.242/.328 with a .570 OPS, one of the worst among qualified MLB hitters.
Similarly, Strider received a six-year deal after one elite season in 2022 as a starter but had to undergo Tommy John surgery in 2024. While he’s gradually picking up in performances in 2025, there is an injury risk with a hard-throwing pitcher like him. If he performs at his best, the righty will no doubt be a steal, but only time will tell.
Why Braves Want to Avoid Risk of MLB Arbitrations
The way MLB arbitration works is that it kicks in after three years of service and often leads to unpredictable bumps in salaries, sometimes from the league minimum to over $10 million in just one season.
Team front offices hate it. It reduces a team’s salary flexibility. There’s too much risk at stake, leaving the salary decision to an arbitrator who ultimately decides what the club must pay a player. The call could turn out well, but it often leads to mistrust between the club and a player.
“Sometimes, you have to wait almost until free agency to get to that extension, or you end up going to free agency,” Jones noted. “So you go through arbitration. And you never know, arbitration can go either way, to the team or to the player.”
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“But arbitration money is too high now. That’s why teams are trying to avoid it by giving the kids an extension real quick,” Jones said. “I think arbitration is up to, like, $20 million now, and that’s just in a third year. So yeah, the money’s going high.”
What the Braves are doing comes at the cost of long-term failures, well before a player’s real value is clear. But it’s a bold move nonetheless. They prefer sticking to the playbook that works for them.
If extensions are not secured early, arbitration becomes unavoidable, which often turns costly for the teams involved. That’s probably what the Braves are thinking.