9:02 am | April 2, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
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Jeff PassanESPN
Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña and the team are finalizing an eight-year, $100 million contract extension, league sources tell ESPN.
The deal includes a $10 million buyout on two options that are worth $17 million each.
The new contract starts this year. He was making $560,000 this season.
The 21-year-old won the National League Rookie of the Year award last season batting .293 with 26 home runs and 64 RBIs.
Acuña will be the youngest player to ever receive a $100 million contract. The team now has him through his age-30 season.
He was one of only seven players with 25 home runs in a season before turning 21 (but the fastest to reach the mark — 92 games), along with Mel Ott, Frank Robinson, Tony Conigliaro, Al Kaline, Orlando Cepeda and Eddie Mathews. Only Conigliaro is not in the Hall of Fame.
Acuña was set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024.
The Braves originally signed Acuna out of Venezuela when he was 16 as an international free agent. He was ranked as Keith Law’s number-one prospect heading into last season.
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