Braves sign Austin Riley to 10-year deal, most lucrative in franchise history
Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after being doused following his walk off double during the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Truist Park on July 31, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves wants Austin Riley to stick around for a while. The defending World Series champion Braves signed the third baseman to a 10-year, $212 million contract.
The deal, which was announced on Monday evening, runs through the 2032 season, with a $20 million club option for 2033. Riley will make $15 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024, and $22 million over the remainder of the deal.
The announcement comes after a hot weekend for Riley as he helped the Braves sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"I use the term consistent," he said. "I think that’s the name of the game. My routine is very consistent right now, and I’m feeling good, and I’m getting pitches and I’m not missing them. So I think locked in is the term."
The 25-year-old is hitting .301 with 29 home runs, 68 RBI and a .964 OPS in 101 games and was named to his first All-Star team this season.
"It’s pretty sweet," Riley said. "Anything I can do to help the team win in that fashion is awesome. It was hot out there, so I was ready to get in the AC."
He set a franchise record with 26 extra-base hits in July, breaking the mark Hank Aaron set when he had 25 extra-base hits in July 1961. Riley leads the majors with 61 extra-base hits this season.
Among players that have hit at least 10 home runs in a month, Riley’s.423 batting average in July is the highest since San Francisco’s Randy Winn batted .447 with 11 homers in September 2005. The only other Brave in modern franchise history to hit above .400 with 10 homers in a single month was Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones, who hit .412 with 11 home runs in July 1999, the year he won the MVP.
"At the end of the day, as long as we’re winning ballgames, that for me is what it’s all about," Riley said over the weekend. "If I can contribute in any way, that’s what I’m here to do. That’s what they’ve got me here to do. If I can do that, I feel like we’re right where we need to be."
Riley finished seventh in the seventh in the NL MVP award voting after hitting .303 with 33 home runs and 107 RBI. He also won his first Silver Slugger award and was named to the All-MLB First Team. In the postseason, he hit two home runs, delivered a walk-off single in Game 1 of the NLCS vs. Los Angeles (NL), and hit .320 (8-for-25) in the World Series with three RBI to help the Braves capture the team’s fourth World Series title.
He was drafted 41st overall by the Braves in 2015 out of DeSoto Central High School in Southhaven, Mississippi and debuted four years later.
For his career, the Braves said Riley has hit .280 (405-1,448) with 88 home runs and a .865 OPS in 392 games.
Riley has also agreed to donate $2.12 million to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
The defending World Series champion Braves were unable to re-sign first baseman Freddie Freeman after the 2021 season and could lose shortstop Dansby Swanson to free agency after this season. After failing to re-sign Freeman, the Braves acquired Olson from Oakland and signed him to a $168 million deal for eight years.
Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the second year of a $100 million, eight-year deal.
The Braves said their deal with Riley is the most lucrative in the club’s history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report