When news broke on Monday afternoon that Austin Riley had reached a decade-long pact to keep him in Atlanta through the year 2032, the reaction was overwhelming. Alex Anthopoulos, once again, had moved swiftly to lock down a core player, keeping the Braves’ World Series window wide open for years to come.
“HOW THE **** DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING EVERY TIME” tweeted a prominent Mets twitter account. Many others echoed his sentiment. One asked if Anthopoulos was running a money laundering scheme that required a federal investigation.
Riley had just became the latest Braves star to sign a below-market deal to keep him in Atlanta for years to come.