Alex Anthopoulos made a point to lock up any young Atlanta Braves player he believed in years ago if he could. Atlanta somewhat set a trend throughout the league when they began signing players to long-term contacts before they even reached arbitration. Now, those type of extensions are much more common throughout the league.

One player who Anthopoulos quickly signed long-term is 2022 NL Rookie of the Year, Michael Harris II. The overall profile of Harris’ up and down bat, elite glove, and abysmal plate discipline has been well documented. Needless to say, most fans have a pretty good idea of the value Harris provides nightly; but where does Harris II’s extension rank among his Braves’ teammates?

Michael Harris II contract extension still one of the best deals the Braves have handed out

During his excellent rookie campaign, Michael Harris II capitalized on his hot start by cashing in on an eight-year deal worth $72 million. The deal came with the trademark Alex Anthopoulos club options on the backend that could run the deal through 2032.

If you were to ask us where his extension ranked a couple months ago when Harris was the worst hitter in baseball, we would’ve had no choice, but to call this deal shaky at best. However, after Harris’ scorching hot second half turnaround, his Gold Glove caliber centerfield play, and the potential that still exists once he finally starts taking more walks, this contract is beginning to look like one of the better deals Anthopoulos has handed out.

Outside of the incredible deal the Braves got 2023 MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. on, and the pennies Ozzie Albies signed for, no other extension looks as good as what AA paid for Harris. You could argue Matt Olson, but most of his value relies on his power and his contract runs through his age 35 season. Meanwhile, MH2’s guaranteed portion of his deal only runs through his age 29 season.

No matter which side you fall on that argument, it is clear Harris’ deal is better than some of the other extensions Anthopoulos has given out. For example, fellow 2022 rookie Spencer Strider signed a six-year, $75 million and has already missed a full season due to injury, looked shaky during his return, and his deal is backloaded – meaning his salary jumps to $20 million or higher each of the next three seasons.

Another deal that Harris’ is a cut above is the richest deal in Braves’ history, the 10-year, $212 million contract Austin Riley signed in August of 2022. Not only is this deal substantially more money, it’s predicated on Riley being a perrenial middle of the order bat for this team. Over the past couple of years that obviously hasn’t been the case.

Both injuries and regression has haunted Riley since 2023, and it’s a real bummer since his value solely relies on slugging. Because he lacks the defensive prowess and speed that Harris can provide to raise the floor of these type of contracts, there is a ton of pressure on Riley’s bat and .

The final deal on the list of those worse that Harris’ is the six-year, $73 million deal the Braves signed Sean Murphy to back in December of 2022. Many fans love to downplay the value of Murphy, but his contract is still a bargain considering the scarcity of catching talent around the league. The reason this deal falls flat is because of the emergence of rookie Drake Baldwin, who has arguably been the better catcher on a much cheaper deal in 2025.