Michae atlanta braves jersey nike l Harris II contract latest example of Braves' aggressive roster management

The Braves have a clear company line on talent: Cut the nonsense and lock it down early.

They have already signed Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley long-term, voiding a ton of team control in the process in lieu of big-time contracts that will keep their home-grown players around. The Braves continued that trend Tuesday, signing budding star center fielder Michael Harris II to an eight-year, $72 million with two team options that could bring it up 10 years, $102 million.

It's the third-largest contract for a player with under a year of service time, trailing only Acuña $100 million and the Rays' Wander Franco ($182 million).

For the Braves and general manager Alex Anthopoulos, it's more of the same. This amounts to paying players up front and ending their contracts on relatively team-friendly terms, given the money they're likely to ultimately be worth. Harris and teammate Spencer Strider are among the National League favorites for Rookie of the Year.

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Michael Harris II contract details

The structure of Harris' new contract is relatively straightforward.

It will void the traditional seven years of teNoah Syndergaard Phillies Jerseys am control (rookie season, three years team control, three years arbitration) and lock him in for as few as eight and as many as 10 years for $72-$102 million.

His AAV comes in at $9 million per year. He'll be a free agent in his age 32 s atlanta braves jersey 2021 eason in 2033 if both options atlanta braves jersey women are exercised.

* — Club Option

The $72 million deal is the third-bCarlos Rodon Giants Jerseys iggest contract in MLB hisAddison Russell tory for a player with under a year of service time.

Braves long-term contracts

The Braves signing Harris to this deal is just another example of them building their team with a clear vision in mind. 

First base, second base, third base, center field, and right field are all accounted for long-term, and catcher and shortstop might not be far behind if William Contreras and Vaughn G atlanta braves uniforms rissom continue good starts to their careers.

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These deals, while lu atlanta braves jersey for kids crative at first blush, will end up being far more team-friendly than a Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, or other legacy superstars. The Braves also continue to call up outstanding pitching, which is why we see these long-term deals for defensive players behind them. Harris is hitting .287 with an OPS of .825, and he'll likely only get better.

Harris is also a defensive superstar, fifth among center fielders in outs above average, which means his floor is what the Yankees and Phillies traded a s Marcus Semien Rangers Jerseys tarting pitcher and a top prospect for at the trade deadline to get Harrison Bader and Brandon Marsh, respectively.

The Braves have both corner infield spots locked up until 2030 at least, half of their middle infield until 2026, and two-thirds of their outfield until 2027. With their plethora of club options, their window is wide open.

This aggressive way of pursuing players may well start to be adopted Gerrit Cole Yankees Jerseys by more teams. The Rays borrowing th atlanta braves away jersey e strategy to lock in Franco may be a sign of the times.

Anthopoulos, meanwhile, has made the MO clear: Play well early, get paid early. It's working for Atlanta now.