5 years in Oakland: $7,720,715; 8 years in Atlanta: $168,000,000 ...

[Auggie]

Atlanta Braves sign Matt Olson to 8-year, $168 million deal through 2029 season

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

SNIP

The Olson contract is the largest in the organization's history -- besting that of Freeman's $135 million deal before the 2014 season -- and the 27-year-old slugger is immediately installed as a centerpiece for the Braves for years to come, alongside Ronald Acuna Jr., Max Fried and Ozzie Albies.

Olson, who was not eligible for free agency until after the 2023 season, will make $15 million in 2022, $21 million in 2023 and then $22 million per season over the remainder of the deal. He also has agreed to donate $1.68 million to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.

He is a two-time Gold Glove winner with a .252 career average, 142 homers and an .859 OPS over six seasons. Olson hit 39 homers and drove in 111 runs last season, finishing eighth in AL MVP voting.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33510396/atlanta-braves-sign-matt-olson-8-year-168-million-deal-2029-season

$7,720,715 would be enough for me.

Gave up on the A's a few years back. Close to giving up MLB oligarchs today.

[Mr.Bill]

1. They'd have to pay me more than that

to spend my summer listening to the tomahawk chant.

[Auggie]

4. +1

[TheRealNorth]

2. That seems like an overpay to me....

But I guess if you are the Yankees, Braves, or the Dodgers, you can do that.

[usonian]

5. I can't begin to list the stars Oakland has dumped as soon as they are due a real paycheck.

The owner is one of the richest in all of baseball. And Billy Bean has an ownership stake, IIRC.

Still they cry poverty and just plain pocket the "Competitive Balance Tax". This obviously wasn't dealt with in the latest CBA.

Decent players make out just great once they are pushed out the door.

Only losers?

THE FANS OF COURSE.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/14/kurtenbach-dont-give-the-as-your-money-they-dont-know-what-to-do-with-it/
I didn't run into a paywall, but I have these Firefox extensions ....
Kurtenbach: Don’t give the A’s your money — they don’t know what to do with it
(Oh yes they do, they pocket it)

Oakland Athletics are purging top players, trading Chris Bassitt and Matt Olson. It should be the last straw for the team’s few remaining fans.

A’s fans deserve better.

But sadly, any fans who have stuck around know the drill by now.

The A’s are tearing it all down, again. This weekend, All-Star starting pitcher Chris Bassitt was traded to the Mets. Monday, Matt Olson, a legitimate MVP candidate, was sent to the Braves.

More will come in the days and weeks to come. Matt Chapman, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas — anyone wearing green and yellow and anywhere near arbitration is on the market. ...

Now, I do think that team owner John Fisher will build his waterfront condos — sorry, I mean, ballpark. And here’s a bonus for the billionaire real estate mogul and heir to the GAP fortune: Major League Baseball will once again subsidize his team with revenue sharing. At its peak, the A’s received more than $30 million a year.

But the A’s will play the same game when they move into new digs, just like the Marlins and the Pirates did after they moved to new ballparks. ...

And let’s be clear: Fisher doesn’t deserve handouts from Major League Baseball. The A’s play in the sixth-largest media market in the country. Per Nielsen, the San Francisco Bay Area has 2.6 million television homes. That’s more than Atlanta, Houston, Boston, and Washington D.C.

But the A’s market is, in fact, even larger. The A’s include Sacramento as part of their fan base, as their games are broadcast on NBC Sports California in the capital city. For a moment, a station in Sacramento was the team’s radio flagship.

Did you know that the Sacramento media market, which includes Stockton and Modesto, is larger than that of Portland, Ore., Charlotte, St. Louis, or Indianapolis? There are nearly 1.5 million television homes in it.

That’s more than 4 million television homes available to the A’s. Northern California is the third-largest media footprint in the country.

This region can support two teams — there’s no doubt in my mind about that.

But the A’s want to be small-time.

And before anyone falls in love with the SF Giants, one of their owners makes regular contributions to RWNJ's. (Not that this is a surprise among MLB owners) ... AND THEY ARE EXEMPT FROM ANTI-TRUST LAWS!

https://baseballboom.com/why-is-the-mlb-exempt-from-antitrust-laws/

Why Is The MLB Exempt From Antitrust Laws?

Baseball is considered a “sport” rather than a “business” and is therefore exempt from antitrust rules.

Since 1922, when the Supreme Court stated that baseball was not a business, it has been exempt from anti-trust legislation.
When Did the First Antitrust laws come out?

The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 was the first antitrust law to come out in the USA. The act prohibits any business activity that could restrain trade, which includes price-fixing, collusion, and mergers. The act is meant to protect consumers from unfair prices and business practices.

When Did the MLB Become Exempt from Antitrust Laws?

In 1922, Major League Baseball (MLB) went in front of the supreme court to argue that they should be exempt from antitrust laws. The supreme court agreed, and MLB has been exempt from antitrust laws ever since.

I need a drink.

[ificandream]

7. As much as I hate the fact that a Giants owner contributes to right-wing causes ...

... at least the Giants try to win. The A's don't.

[usonian]

8. Agree. It has been fun. Great team sprit and winning culture.

I have three World Series commemorative books. In orange and black, and I listen to games on the radio from a couple hundred miles away.

Being originally from Boston, you can't imagine how awesome it is to root for "Yaz".

Who else remembers "Big Yaz Bread"??

[Auggie]

6. Bye-Bye Matt Chapman, 3B

The Oakland Athletics have traded away another former All-Star, sending third baseman Matt Chapman to the Toronto Blue Jays for four prospects, sources told ESPN, confirming multiple reports.

The rebuilding A's will receive four minor league prospects -- RHP Gunnar Hoglund, SS Kevin Smith and LHPs Zach Logue and Kirby Snead, according to ESPN and multiple reports.

Chapman, 28, is a three-time Gold Glove winner (2018, 2019 and 2021) and was an All-Star in 2019. He has spent all of his five seasons with Oakland, registering a .243 career batting average.

Chapman's average has dropped every season since a career-high .278 in 2018. Last season he batted just .210, with 27 home runs and 72 RBIs, while striking out more than 200 times.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/33516829/reports-oakland-trade-3b-matt-chapman-toronto-blue-jays-prospects

[Capt. America]

9. I adore the scrappy A's, but I wish they would spend some money. More than that, I wish MLB wasn't

the EPL; where rich teams always win.