Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed his motivation for giving out so many huge contract extensions — the Montreal Expos.
Ronald Acuña, Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider, Michael Harris, Sean Murphy, Matt Olson and Austin Riley. Those are just a few young stars Alex Anthopoulos has locked up through 2028, at the earliest. It’s a unique business model — and dare I say a refreshing one — that prioritizes signing young talent before they hit arbitration.
Anthopoulos grew up a Montreal Expos team, when he saw so many young players (and eventually the team itself) leave for greener pastures because of front office failures. He doesn’t want to make the same mistakes.
“I saw a lot of players leave,” Anthopoulos said, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. “I know what it was like that our good young players were being traded away or that they couldn’t keep them. So I think there’s a small part of me that feels from a fan base, you can buy this guy’s jersey because he’s going to be here a while.”
Braves: Alex Anthopoulos is not done
The trend with Anthopoulos is actually rather simple. Just follow the numbers.
Next up on the contract extensions tract could very well be Max Fried, who has entered his arbitration years as the Braves unquestioned ace. Fried will cost a lot of money, however, and may have already priced his way out of Atlanta’s best interest. This is especially true given Strider is signed through 2029, and is arguably an ace in the making.
If not Fried, then who? Perhaps Vaughn Grissom, who is just 21 years old and already tabbed as Dansby Swanson’s long-term replacement, would be a better fit for an extension. Grissom obviously has yet to reach arbitration, and could be had rather cheap if the Braves front office truly believes in his talent potential.