Braves All-Star's Big Contract Projected to Become a Nightmarish Deal

The Atlanta Braves two-time All-Star's contract began started off looking like a deal but has since started to look pricey

The Braves' third baseman is going to have to prove something going forward | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

It's been a tough go-around for Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley the past two seasons. While some think a bounce-back could still be in the cards, others think he'll continue to be on the decline.

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller included Riley's contract among those projected to be the "biggest nightmare" by 2028. Just two years from now, they're seeing this deal being a complete disaster.

"At any rate, by the time the likes of Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette and Alex Bregman sign their new contracts this winter, Riley isn't even going to rank top 40 in 2026 salary," Miller wrote. "All the same, his past two seasons have made that 10-year deal look less and less like an actual deal."

Riley is under contract through at least the 2032 season with an option for the following season. He'll make $22 million per year throughout the guaranteed years. If the Braves were to exercise his club option, it would be worth $20 million.

Along with Matt Olson, Riley is tied for the highest-paid player on the roster. How the Braves go about the remainder of the offseason could change that. Even then, at the lowest, he will be the second-highest-paid player.

He received his contract during a time that the Braves were locking up their core players for the longrun on what were supposed to be more affordable contracts. Riley inked a 10-year, $212 million contract that went into effect at the beginning of the 2023 season. For a time, it looked like a steal.

At the time of the contract's signing, he was finishing up an All-Star season in 2022 that would net him a sixth-place finish in the MVP voting. The year before, he received MVP votes as well. The first year of the extension justified the deal with another All-Star year, his second Silver Slugger and a seventh-place finish in MVP voting.

For three seasons, he had been considered a top-10 player in the National League. In 478 games across those three seasons, he batted .286 with an .878 OPS, 108 home runs and 297 RBIs. He missed eight total games in that time, and he was emerging as a bona fide star in the game.

Come the 2024 season, it started to come crashing down. He had a slow start to the season, and by the time he was starting to return to form, he suffered a season-ending injury. A similar story unfolded in 2025. There was a slow start, then he looked a bit better. Then, the abdominal injury happened.

The hope is that he will truly be healthy and able to compete again. Until that happens, there will be doubters. One season will be all it takes to course correct the narrative. Time will tell if his contract becomes a steal again.