ATLANTA (AP) — One day after cutting ties with Freddie Freeman, the Atlanta Braves signed new first baseman Matt Olson to a $168 million, eight-year contract on Tuesday.
Olson was not eligible for free agency until after the 2023 season, but the World Series champions quickly locked down the 27-year-old slugger through at least 2029. The deal also includes a $20 million club option for 2030 with no buyout.
The Braves on Tuesday also added former Tampa Bay right-hander Collin McHugh to a $10 million, two-year deal. The deal includes a $6 million club option for 2024 with a $1 million buyout.
McHugh, 34, will earn $4 million this year and $5 million in 2023. He agreed to donate 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
McHugh pitched in relief in 30 of his 37 games with Tampa Bay last season. He was 6-1 with a 1.55 ERA and one save. His ERA was fourth lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least as many as his 64 innings. He has a 2.11 ERA as a reliever since 2018. He has a 64-44 record and 3.77 ERA in his nine-year career with the Mets, Rockies, Astros and A’s.
With a stunning bit of wheeling and dealing, the Braves addressed their potential hole at first base with Olson after failing to reach a deal with Freeman, who led the team for more than a decade and played a huge role in Atlanta capturing its first World Series championship since 1995.
The Braves dealt four top prospects to the Oakland Athletics for Olson, a 2021 All-Star coming off a season in which he had 39 homers and 111 RBIs while batting .271.
Olson will make $15 million this year, $21 million in 2023 and $22 million in each of the following six seasons.
It was the 10th contract of at least $100 million agreed to since the end of the World Series and the first since Major League Baseball’s 99-day lockout ended last week,
The payout is the largest in Braves’ history, surpassing the $135 million, eight-year deal that Freeman signed after the 2013 season.
Atlanta was not willing to make that sort of long-term commitment again to Freeman, who is 32. But, with a younger player who was willing to take less money per year that his predecessor is reportedly seeking, the Braves agreed to the sort of lengthy deal they weren’t prepared to give Freeman.
Olson, who turns 28 on March 29, flew from Arizona to the Braves spring training camp in Venice, Florida, where the team announced his new contract at an introductory news conference.
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