Thursday March 28th, 2024 10:28AM

Braves sign Riley to 10-year, $221 million deal

By AccessWDUN Staff

ATLANTA — Austin Riley signed the most lucrative deal in Atlanta Braves history Monday afternoon.

The 25-year-old third baseman inked a 10-year contract worth $212 million that runs through the 2032 season, with a $20 million club option for 2033.

Riley will make $15 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024, and $22 million over the remainder of the deal. He has agreed to donate $2.12 million to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.

Riley has been clutch for the Braves this season and is hitting .301 with 29 home runs, 68 RBI, and a .964 OPS in 101 games this season.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound third baseman was named to his first All-Star team this season and is leading the major leagues with 61 extra-base hits, while his OPS ranks sixth and his home run total ranks fourth. He finished July with 26 extra-base hits, the most ever by a Braves player in a calendar month and breaking Hall-of-Famer Hank Aaron’s previous record set in 1961 by one. He also hit .423 with 11 home runs in July, joining Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones as the only Braves player to hit .400 with double-digit home runs in a single month.

Last season, Riley finished seventh in the NL MVP award voting after hitting .303 with 33 home runs and 107 RBI. He also won his first Silver Slugger award and was named to the All-MLB First Team. In the postseason, he hit two home runs, delivered a walk-off single in Game 1 of the NLCS vs. Los Angeles (NL), and hit .320 (8-for-25) in the World Series with three RBI to help the Braves capture the team’s fourth World Series title.

Originally drafted 41st overall by the Braves in 2015 out of DeSoto Central High School in Southhaven, Miss., Riley made his major league debut in 2019. He homered in his second career plate appearance and then became the quickest Braves player in the modern era to reach double-digit home runs when he hit his 10th in his 26th career game.

For his career, Riley has hit .280 (405-1,448) with 88 home runs and a .865 OPS in 392 games.

Riley’s deal is the most lucrative in club history.   
 

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