Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies throws to first after forcing out Miami Marlins' Martin Prado, and gets Starlin Castro at first base during the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, April 7, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
With team-friendly contract extensions increasing in popularity in baseball, the Atlanta Braves decided to extend second baseman Ozzie Albies for the next seven seasons.
The Braves announced Thursday they agreed to a seven-year, $35 million extension with Albies, essentially locking in another top young baseball player for nearly a decade.
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The terms of the deal didn’t sit well with some people. While the Braves previously signed Ronald Acuna to an eight-year, $100 million extension last week, many were calling the Albies deal the “worst contract ever for a player.”
“It's typical that agents criticize competitors' deals. But I've now heard from executives, players, analytics people, development side and scouts who are saying the same thing: The Ozzie Albies extension might be the worst contract ever for a player. And this is not hyperbole,” ESPN’s Jeff Passan tweeted moments after the deal was announced.
Baseball writer Keith Law called the 22-year-old’s deal “brutal.”
“When someone sent me the details of the Albies contract I thought the dollar figure had to be a typo. this is a brutal deal for the player,” Law tweeted. “Just brutal.”
The Ringer’s Michael Baumann called the contract “inexplicable” and pinned the deal as a “product of leaguewide efforts — coordinated or not — to depress player salaries and the Braves’ willingness to leverage Albies’s structural negotiating advantages against him.”
Albies, for what it’s worth, defended his decision to sign the extension.
“I look at it as, it’s not just for money. Because I’m not playing for money. I’m playing for my career. And I took it because I want my family to be safe,” he said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
He later added that he loves “being part of the Braves.”
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Albies is in his third season with the Braves. He’s hitting .364 with a home run and a .929 OPS in 11 games this season.
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