Atlanta GM Anthopoulos doles out $168M US over 8 years to newcomer Matt Olson

One day after cutting ties with Freddie Freeman, Atlanta signed new first baseman Matt Olson to an eight-year, $168-million US contract on Tuesday.

Olson was not eligible for free agency until after the 2023 season, but the World Series champions quickly locked down the 27-year-old slugger through at least 2029. The deal also includes a $20 million club option for 2030 with no buyout.

With a stunning bit of wheeling and dealing, Atlanta addressed its potential hole at first base after failing to reach a deal with Freeman, who led the team for more than a decade and played a huge role in the team capturing its first World Series championship since 1995.

Atlanta dealt four top prospects to the Oakland Athletics for Olson, a 2021 all-star coming off a season in which he had 39 homers and 111 runs batted in while batting .271.

Olson will make $15 million this year, $21 million in 2023 and $22 million in each of the following six seasons.

It was the 10th contract of at least $100 million agreed to since the end of the World Series and the first since Major League Baseball's 99-day lockout ended last week,

The payout is the largest in Atlanta club history, surpassing the eight-year, $135-million pact Freeman signed after the 2013 season.

Atlanta was not willing to make that sort of long-term commitment again to Freeman, a dual citizen of the United States and Canada who is 32. But, with a younger player who was willing to take less money per year that his predecessor is reportedly seeking, Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos agreed to the sort of lengthy deal they weren't prepared to give Freeman.

Olson, who turns 28 on March 29, flew from Arizona to Atlanta's spring training camp in Venice, Fla., where the team announced