Alex Anthopoulos believes extending talent will work for young and gifted Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves have made it a habit to ensure talent they have doesn't go elsewhere. They have been on the forefront of teams extending their young stars to record-length contract.

In recent years, they've extended Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson (right after trading for him), Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy (also immediately after a trade), Spencer Strider, Michael Harris (both in their rookie seasons) and more.

It's a unique and new age business model, but GM Alex Anthopoulos believes it will work.

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"I do believe everything you do should be team-specific. In my view, with the way that things are set up, this is what works for the Braves."

Following Sean Murphy's contract extension, Alex Anthopoulos discusses Atlanta's strategy of locking up core players to long-term deals.

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"I do believe everything you do should be team-specific. In my view, with the way that things are set up, this is what works for the Braves."

Following Sean Murphy's contract extension, Alex Anthopoulos discusses Atlanta's strategy of locking up core players to long-term deals. https://t.co/oVA0OtB8qJ

He told Bally Sports:

"There's risk to this, right? We've had elite young players get hurt... or guys have down years. There's risk when you lock yourself into this and that's the tradeoff... We do like the fact that guys can go out there and just worry about playing."

He continued:

"They know that they're going to be here. The fan base can buy a jersey and feel pretty good about it... that's certainly a nice thing to add. There's continuity and stability for the organization, for the lineup."

He added:

"It's not always a given. These guys are talented and they work hard, they're great people. No one plans on having a bad year. No one plans on getting hurt, but it happens... I do believe everything you do should be team-specific. In my view, with the way that things are set up, this is what works for the Braves."

The Atlanta Braves have reshaped baseball economics a bit and won a World Series in the midst of it. How far can it take them?

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Who have the Atlanta Braves extended to long-term contracts?

The Atlanta Braves have been very smart in most of their negotiations. They signed Ronald Acuna Jr., Spencer Strider and others very early into their careers, which will save a lot of money.

Instead of waiting for them to have a career year, the Braves signed them early. Right now, several stars are on lengthy contracts:

• Acuna Jr.
• Strider
• Olson
• Austin Riley
• Murphy
• Harris II
• Albies

This doesn't guarantee the same team over and over again, but it does guarantee that the Braves will be talented for a long time.

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