| August 1, 2022, 6:23 p.m
ATLANTA — All-Star third baseman Austin Riley and the Atlanta Braves agreed to terms on Monday on a 10-year, $212 million contract that begins in 2023, the most lucrative deal in team history and a surprise given that he had three additional seasons under club control.
The 25-year-old’s deal is Major League Baseball’s 25th for $200 million or more. It includes a $20 million club option for 2033 with no buyout, which could make the deal worth $232 million over 11 seasons.
Riley hit .423 with 11 homers, 25 RBI and 21 runs in July. His 26 extra-base hits in July were the most by a Braves player in any month, surpassing Hall of Famer Hank Aaron’s previous record set in July 1961.
The big month left Riley leading the majors with 61 extra-base hits.
Riley capped a forgettable month by hitting a game-winning double in the ninth inning of Sunday’s 1-0 win over Arizona, scoring Matt Olson to make it a three-game winning streak.
Riley is making $3.95 million this year after losing in arbitration. He would be eligible for arbitration before the 2023, ’24 and ’25 seasons, after which he could become a free agent.
He will make $15 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024 and $22 million in each remaining year of the deal. Riley will donate 1 percent of his salary annually to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
Riley is hitting .301, entered Monday fourth in the league with 29 home runs and has 68 RBIs and a .964 OPS in 101 games.
The deal provides long-term security for Riley while allowing the Braves to count on the player to remain in the middle of their lineup for at least a decade.
The defending World Series champion Braves failed to re-sign first baseman Freddie Freeman after the 2021 season and could lose shortstop Dansby Swanson in free agency after this season. After failing to re-sign Freeman, the Braves acquired Olson from Oakland and signed him to a $168 million, eight-year contract.
Outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is in the second year of an eight-year, $100 million contract.
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