Matt Olson agrees to huge extension upon being traded to the Braves

Matt Olson has signed an eight-year extension worth $168 million after being traded to his hometown Atlanta Braves.

It is truly a new era of Atlanta Braves baseball, as former Parkview star Matt Olson comes home to man first base.

While he has to replace a man who likely heading towards Cooperstown, Olson now gets to play for his favorite team for the rest of the decade. He has agreed to an eight-year extension worth $168 million which will run through the 2029 MLB season. Though it stinks to lose Freddie Freeman in MLB free agency, Atlanta is getting a great player at roughly $21 million a season.

Here is the official press release of the contract extension between Olson and the Braves.

And here is Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos putting the No. 28 jersey on Olson’s back for the first time.

Atlanta Braves: Matt Olson contract extension details

The way the $168 million extension breaks down is as follows. Olson will make $15 million in 2022, $21 million in 2023 and $22 million over the final six years of the contract extension Olson signed with the Braves on Tuesday. There is also a club option for 2030 worth $20 million. It should be noted that Olson is donating $1.68 million to the Atlanta Braves Foundation as well.

Yes, Atlanta had to give up four players to the Oakland Athletics to get Olson, including outfielder Crisitian Pache and catcher Shea Langeliers. However, is getting a player almost as good as Freeman who is four years younger than him at roughly two-thirds of the cost. This will allow Anthopoulos to pursue other players in free agency that would not have been possible before.

Ultimately, the only way this works is if Olson is himself. He does not have to be Freeman. Braves Country has to let him play his own brand of baseball. It is not everyday a local product gets to return home. Baseball is a business, and a harsh one at that. Though losing Freeman in free agency is a tough pill to swallow, Olson is the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.

No that Olson is under contract, look for the Braves to be ultra-aggressive in MLB free agency.