The Atlanta Braves have been very good at inking their young players to long-term extensions, but the flip side of those extensions is the players potentially hurting their earning potential.
Much has been made about the extensions signed by Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies for far under market value. Even Austin Riley’s 10-year, $212 million deal, a franchise record, has the potential to be a long-term bargain.
Starting pitcher Spencer Strider, though, signed a slightly shorter extension, seemingly allowing himself the chance to hit free agency while he is still in his prime. The latest he could be a free agent as of now is before the 2030 season.
Strider looked like he would earn a megadeal early in his career, but missing the entire 2024 season and all but one start thus far in 2025 have set him back. But there’s still plenty of time for the 26-year-old to re-establish himself as a workhorse.
On Tuesday, ESPN insider Jeff Passan projected the future values of many stars’ contracts, and he projected Strider to make at least $200 million on his next deal.
“Strider’s six-year, $75 million extension signed in October 2022 set a record for a pitcher with such little service time,” Passan wrote.
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“Should the Braves exercise a club option in 2029, it will put Strider onto the market at 31 — the same age as his former Braves teammate Max Fried was when he got eight years and $218 million from the Yankees last winter. When he’s healthy, Strider is even better than Fried, and if he can sustain his stuff, he might be a better bet for the $300 million club.”
In his Braves career, Strider is 32-11 with a 3.47 ERA and a whopping 500 strikeouts in only 334 2/3 innings pitched. He led the majors with 281 punchouts in 2023, his only full-length season, and finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting.
The Braves are going to need 2023 Strider back if they want to claw their way back into the playoff hunt. His hamstring injury doesn’t seem to be too bad, as he’s already long-tossing, which hopefully clears the path for a return in the next few weeks.
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