The Atlanta Braves and reigning National League Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. are finalizing an eight-year, $100 million contract extension on Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan reports. The Braves have not confirmed the deal.
BREAKING: Outfielder Ronald Acuña and the Atlanta Braves are finalizing an eight-year, $100 million contract extension, league sources tell ESPN. The deal includes two club options.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 2, 2019
The eight-year deal begins this season and will come with a $10 million buyout on two club options that are worth $17 million each, according to Passan. Acuna will now be under team control through his age-30 season, with the deal maxing out at $124 million if both options are exercised.
Ronald Acuña's deal with the Braves begins this season and guarantees another seven years. It includes a $10M buyout on two options that are worth $17M each.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 2, 2019
Acuna played in 111 games last season after making his MLB debut in late April, and over that span he batted .293/.366/.552 (144 OPS+) with 26 home runs and 26 doubles in 487 plate appearances. He also stole 16 bases on 21 attempts.
The 21-year-old entered the 2019 season with 159 days of major league service, and was on track to qualify for arbitration in 2021 (Super Two) and reach free agency after the 2024 season.
The only other player in a similar service class to come close to Acuna's reported total guaranteed money is Eloy Jimenez of the Chicago White Sox. Chicago locked up one of its core pieces long-term before Jimenez even played a big league game, giving him a six-year contract worth $43 million guaranteed.
Acuna's deal would also be one of the biggest extensions for a pre-arbitration player in MLB history. Angels' Mike Trout holds the record with his six-year, $144.5 million deal back in 2014 while Astros' Alex Bregman is a close second at five years and $100 million announced just last month.
Acuna is 3 for 14 through his first four games this season. He hit his first home run in Atlanta's 8-0 win over the Cubs on Monday.
