The Atlanta Braves may be sitting on the single most team-friendly contract in baseball, but it’s also a ticking time bomb.
The $100 Million Braves Bargain That Won’t Last
When Ronald Acuña Jr. signed his eight-year, $100 million extension back in 2019, it was heralded as a masterstroke by general manager Alex Anthopoulos. At the time, the dollar amount was unprecedented for a player so early in his career, and the Braves were widely praised for their foresight. Now? That same deal is beginning to look like a financial powder keg, one with a very short fuse.
The numbers tell the story. Acuña just won the 2023 NL MVP and became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in a single season. He’s the engine of the Braves’ offense, the face of the franchise, and one of the most electrifying talents in all of professional sports. But as the years tick by, the market is sprinting past him.
Rising Contracts Paint a Bleak Forecast
Just look around the league. Cody Bellinger, once a former MVP but a player with an uneven trajectory since, just locked in $162.5 million over five years. Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette are also commanding serious money, despite not matching Acuña’s peak production. These aren’t one-off cases; they’re trendlines. The cost of elite (and even semi-elite) talent is skyrocketing. And if Bellinger can land that kind of payday, imagine what a fully healthy, still-in-his-prime Acuña could fetch on the open market.
$300 million? Try more. The Acuña contract is a bargain, but it comes with an expiration date. The Braves hold club options through 2028, but after that, all bets are off. And make no mistake: the clock is ticking. Every month Acuña stays healthy and dominant adds zeroes to his future asking price.
The Ghost of Freddie Freeman Still Haunts Atlanta
And then there’s the shadow of Freddie Freeman. Once considered the heart of the Braves, Freeman walked after the team failed to meet his market value. That decision still stings in Atlanta. It’s a cautionary tale, and one the Braves can’t afford to repeat.
Anthopoulos and the front office have done a masterful job locking up core players early, but Acuña represents something else entirely. He’s a generational talent, the kind of player you build statues for, not someone you let walk because the budget got tight.
Right now, the Acuña contract is the biggest bargain in baseball. But come 2027, it could be the Braves’ biggest nightmare, unless they act decisively.
