Braves agree with Chris Johnson on 3-year extension

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Braves have locked up their valuable third baseman for years to come. The Atlanta Braves have reached an agreement with third baseman Chris Johnson on an extension, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com. The extension was first reported close by Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors. The extension is for three years which includes a club option for another year. The multi-year deal covers his last two years of arbitration, along with a free agent year, while controlling the rights to another. Chris Johnson is guaranteed $23.5 million over the life of the deal, and the 2018 club option is valued at $10 million, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

Johnson is making $4.75 million this season as a first-year arbitration-eligible player. Chris Johnson wasn’t supposed to be a free agent until after the 2016 season. Because he was a Super Two player, he gets four years of arbitration as opposed to the usual three.The third baseman is the latest Atlanta Braves player to be locked up with an extension, joining Craig Kimbrel, Julio Teheran, Freddie Freeman, and Andrelton Simmons.

After being included in the January 2013 trade that brought outfielder Justin Upton to Atlanta from Arizona in exchange for infielder Martin Prado, pitching prospect Randall Delgado, minor league pitcher Zeke Spruill, shortstop Nick Ahmed and first baseman Brandon Drury, he showed that he was not just a throw-in.

Last season, Chris Johnson crushed twelve home runs and also finished second in the National League with a stellar .321 batting average. This season, however, he is hitting a disappointing .255 with only one home run and a .641 OPS in twenty-six games. On the upside, he has compiled a .333 BABIP. He is a career .287/.326/.434 hitter, while boasting fourty-six home runs in six seasons in the major leagues.