Just 70 games into their Major-League relationship, the Atlanta Braves and rookie outfielder Michael Harris II have effectively decided to get hitched.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided and Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Braves and Harris II are set to agree on an eight-year extension worth around $72 million.
Atlanta has been aggressive in locking up their core position players to long-term, team-friendly contracts over the past several seasons. Once the deal is finalized, Harris will be the fifth Braves player signed through at least 2025, joining outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., second baseman Ozzie Albies, first baseman Matt Olson, and third baseman Austin Riley. All but Olson made their MLB debut’s with Atlanta.
As pointed out by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the Braves now have a 10-player core signed through at least 2024, with the seven position players listed signed through 2027.
Harris II has been of tremendous value to the Braves since making his debut on May 28, batting .292 with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. He (2.7) and teammate Spencer Strider (3.3) leads National League rookies in fWAR this season, effectively putting them in a one-on-one battle for NL Rookie of the Year.
Vaughn Grissom, who made his debut against the Red Sox earlier this month, is 15th with an fWAR of 0.6 in less than 10 games.
Harris’ contract would be the third richest for a player with less than one year of MLB service time, trailing Tampa Bay Rays star Wander Franco (11 years, $182 million) and teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. (eight years, $100 million).
Oh yeah, the Braves won the World Series in 2021. The rich keep getting richer.
