Atlanta Braves star Matt Olson loves the culture and the excellent front office he's found with new team: "Ownership will give you anything you want"
Matt Olson was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Atlanta Braves ahead of last season. It was a major upgrade as the Braves were the defending champions and perennial contenders and the A's were going nowhere.
He recently spoke about the upgrade, which was applied in areas of the game he never would have expected.
New episode of Starting 9 out NOW.
We are joined by Matt Olson of the reigning 5 time NL East Champion Atlanta Braves.
Great conversation about how committed the team is to winning. https://t.co/6vEFoXN4gf
Here's what Olson had to say about the home clubhouse, his new team and more:
"I had heard around the league that [the new Braves clubhouse] was sweet. You know, that's guys on the visitors side. I almost didn't believe it when I walked in at first. It's such a nice set up."
He raved about how much the front office listens to players:
"I mean, anything you want, they get. I forget who it was in Spring Training, the Cleveland visiting clubhouse has towel warmers. One of the guys was talking to Alex [Anthopoulos] in spring and was like, 'We need those towel warmers.' Sure enough, the day we showed up, they were installed."
This was something he hadn't experienced as a member of the Oakland Athletics:
"Just like, the littlest things that was not happening previously. Alex does such a good job, and ownership will give you anything you want here. If they think it's going to translate to wins on the field or team morale, they're all about it. So that's pretty sick."
Olson was almost immediately extended through the 2030 season, so it's a very good thing he likes Atlanta. They are quickly gaining a reputation for being one of the best organizations in baseball.
What was Matt Olson traded for?
After the 2021 season, Matt Olson was one of the most highly sought after players in baseball. Lately, that's been true of almost any player the Oakland Athletics have - from Matt Chapman to Sean Murphy (the Braves also traded for him) and Olson.
Before the start of last season, the Braves sent the A's a haul for Olson, including catcher Shea Langeliers, outfielder Cristian Pache, pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes.