Ozzie Albies' contract extension with Atlanta Braves draws criticism: 'Just brutal'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“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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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.