(Atlanta) Star third baseman Austin Riley signed a 10-year, $212 million contract extension with the Atlanta Braves on Monday.
Posted at 9:29 p.m.
The contract, which will begin in 2023, is the most lucrative in team history and comes as a bit of a surprise when the Braves still had bargaining power for three more seasons.
This is the 25e $200 million or more contract awarded in Major League Baseball history. The Braves hold a 20 million option in 2033, without a buyout clause, which could increase the agreement to 232 million in 11 seasons.
Riley batted .423 with 11 homers, 25 RBIs and 21 runs scored in the month of July. His 26 multi-base hits in July set a Braves record for most in a month, lowering the mark set in July 1961 by the legendary Hank Aaron.
Riley currently leads the Majors with 61 more than one base hits. He capped his momentous month by producing the winning run in the ninth inning of a 1-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Riley pockets 3.95 million this year, after losing his case in arbitration. He would still have been eligible for arbitration in 2023, 2024 and 2025 before becoming a free agent.
He will get his hands on a sum of 15 million in 2023, 21 million in 2024 and 22 million for each of the remaining years of his contract. Riley will donate 1% of his annual salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
Riley is batting .301 this season. He started Monday ranked fourth in Major League Baseball in homers (29), drove in 68 runs and posted a .964 ERA in 101 games.