Atlanta Braves sign newly acquired Matt Olson to 8-year, $168M contract

March 15 (UPI) -- The Atlanta Braves signed Matt Olson to an eight-year, $168 million contract Tuesday, just 24 hours after the club acquired the All-Star first baseman in a trade with the Oakland Athletics.

The deal, announced Tuesday by the franchise, runs through the 2029 season. The pact also includes a $20 million club option for 2030 with no buyout.

Olson will earn $15 million in 2022, $21 million in 2023 and $22 million over the remainder of the agreement.

"It was one of those where I had to double take and say, 'Wait a minute, what did you say?'" Olson told reporters when asked about his reaction to the new contract. "It's my hometown. I just bought a house there and I just got traded there, and you want to ink a deal and have security to be there for a while? It was just, 'Yes,' the whole way and something I was prepared to do."

Olson's contract is the largest in Braves history, topping Freddie Freeman's $135 million deal before the 2014 season. Olson will immediately be installed as a centerpiece for the Braves for much of the next decade -- alongside Ronald Acuna Jr., Max Fried and Ozzie Albies.

"He is now part of this core," Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said of Olson on Tuesday. "He wanted to be here."

Olson, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, has a .252 career batting average with 142 home runs, 373 RBIs and an .859 OPS over six seasons. He compiled 39 homers and drove in 111 runs last season for the A's, finishing eighth in American League MVP voting.