Ahead of the Braves’ division series against the Phillies, the team announced that right-hand pitcher Spencer Strider signed a six-year, $75 million deal on Monday.
This means the young pitcher will remain under contract through at least the 2028 season. The deal also includes a $22 million club option for 2029 with a $5 million buyout. If the club option is used, the deal will be worth $92 million over seven years.
Strider is now set to earn $1 million in the 2023 and ’24 seasons, then $4 million in ’25, $20 million in ’26 and, finally, $22 million in the ’27 and ’28 seasons.
In his first full season with the Braves, Strider tallied an 11–5 record with a 2.67 ERA. He appeared in 31 games with 20 starts in the 2022 season.
The 23-year-old became the first pitcher in MLB history to record at least 200 strikeouts while allowing fewer than 100 hits in a season. He struck out 202 batters and only allowed 86 hits.
Strider is only the 16th rookie in MLB history, and the third Braves pitcher, to strike out 200 in a season, and he is the quickest pitcher to reach the milestone (130 innings). His 13.8 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest such mark by a rookie pitcher in MLB history.