Baltimore Sun

AROUND THE HORN

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Braves: All-Star third baseman Austin Riley and the Braves agreed Monday to a 10-year, $212 million contract extension that starts in 2023, the most lucrative deal in team history and a surprise given he had three additional seasons under club control. The deal with the 25-year-old is Major League Baseball’s 25th for $200 million or more. It includes a $20 million club option for 2033 with no buyout, which could make the agreement worth $232 million over 11 seasons. Riley hit .423 with 11 homers, 25 RBIs and 21 runs in July. His 26 extrabase hits in July were the most by a Braves player in any month, passing Hall of Famer Hank Aaron’s previous record set in July 1961. The big month left Riley leading the majors with 61 extra-base hits. Riley is earning $3.95 million this year after losing in arbitratio­n. He would have been eligible for arbitratio­n ahead of the 2023, ’24 and ’25 seasons, then could have become a free agent. He will make $15 million in 2023, $21 million in 2024, and $22 million in each remaining year of the deal. Riley will donate 1% of his salary annually to the Atlanta Braves Foundation. Riley is hitting .301, began Monday fourth in the majors with 29 home runs, and has 68 RBIs and a .964 OPS in 101 games. The deal provides long-term security for Riley while giving the Braves the ability to count on the slugger remaining a fixture in the middle of their lineup for at least a decade. The defending World Series champion Braves were unable to re-sign first baseman Freddie Freeman after the 2021 season and could lose shortstop Dansby Swanson to free agency after this season. After failing to re-sign Freeman, the Braves acquired Olson from Oakland and signed him to a $168 million deal for eight years. Outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the second year of an eight-year, $100 million deal.

Red Sox: The Red Sox acquired OF Tommy Pham from the Reds and C Reese McGuire from the White Sox, ESPN reported. LHP Jake Diekman heads to the White Sox in the McGuire deal. Pham, 34, is hitting .238 with 11 HRs and 39 RBIs in 91 games. The nine-year veteran signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal with the Reds in March that included a $1.5 million buyout on a mutual option for ’23. There was also a $500,000 bonus if he were to be traded. Pham hasn’t hit a HR in his last 25 games. He finished his tenure with the Reds in a 0-for-10 slump.

All-Star RHP Joe Musgrove signed a five-year contract extension. The deal is worth $100 million, according to reports. Musgrove is the first pitcher in Padres history to earn a $100 million contract. Musgrove, coming off the first All-Star Game appearance of his sevenyear career, is 8-4 with a 2.65 ERA this season. He has an $8,625,000 salary and was on track to be eligible for free agency after the World Series. Musgrove, 29, grew up in nearby El Cajon, Calif. He threw the first no-hitter in Padres history in just his second start for team, against the Rangers on April 9, 2021. It was in the team’s 8,206th regular-season game.

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