Will Austin Riley be the highest paid third baseman in MLB if he signs a $212m contract?

The Atlanta Braves have a top notch roster that includes players like Ronald Acuña Jr, Charlie Morton, William Contreras, among others. Also, the Braves are the defending World Series champions, they won the title in 2021 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

So far the Braves are in a good position to reach the playoffs as the second best team in the National League East Division with a record of 62-41 overall. Their home record is slightly better with 36 wins and only 21 losses, while on the road they are 26-20.

The Braves' infield is made up of Matt Olson, Orlando Arcia, Dansby Swanson, Ehire Adrianza, Mike Ford and Austin Riley. The latter is negotiating his new contract extension with the team, that contract will bind him to the Braves for 10 years.

Will Austin Riley be the highest paid third baseman in the MLB?

The short answer is no, but that doesn't mean his upcoming $212m contract will be small compared to other players of his position. So far the third baseman with the best contract in the MLB is Manny Machado (Padres) with a value of $300m.

But the good news is that Austin Riley will be the fourth highest paid at his position, displacing Jose Ramirez with a $141m contract. On top of that, Riley will be the third third baseman with a contract over $200m.

Riley is young at 25 years old, playing until he is 35 with an MLB team that has a big future ahead of him is a good bet. Most of the infielders have long contracts in the league, but pitchers are the second players with the biggest contracts.