ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves makes a play on a ground ball hit by Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Getty
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 30: Austin Riley, Mauricio Dubón and Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves warm up prior to the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images) Getty
While the 2026 season ended disappointingly for the Atlanta Braves, there were still plenty of positives, including winning the NL East, defeating the Phillies in the NL Wild Card round, and posting 90+ wins under first-year skipper Walt Weiss.
However, there were also some negatives, like another campaign filled with injuries to the starting staff, the whole Jurickson Profar situation, and Austin Riley.
Speaking of Austin Riley, he had a career-worst season at the plate, and he's still on the books for several million dollars, which could start to become a problem if he can't turn things around on offense.
Let's take a closer look at Austin Riley's MLB contract and how much there is left on the deal.
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GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 07: Austin Riley #27 of the Atlanta Braves makes a play on a ground ball hit by Kyle Tucker #23 of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Austin Riley is the highest-paid player in Braves franchise history in terms of total value on a contract.
Spotrac.com wrote (about Riley's deal):
"Austin Riley signed a 10 year, $212,000,000 contract with the Atlanta Braves, including $212,000,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $21,200,000. In 2027, Riley will earn a base salary of $22,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $22,000,000."
He's owed $22 million for the next six full seasons, and there is a club option for 2033.
MLBTR.com's Mark Polishuk also noted that there is $132 million guaranteed remaining on Riley's $212 million deal.
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GettyATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Austin Riley, Mauricio Dubón and Matt Olson #28 of the Atlanta Braves warm up prior to the game against the Philadelphia Phillies in game two of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on September 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Edward M. Pio Roda/Getty Images)
2026 was undoubtedly Austin Riley's worst season at the plate.
The 2X MLB All-Star third baseman batted .219 with 19 home runs, 72 RBI, and an OPS+ of 80.
He worked very few walks and had a very high strikeout rate, which is what leads to some concern regarding Riley's status going forward.
Although it was a bit of a power outage season for Riley, hitting 19 long balls is still respectable, but striking out 201 times in 566 ABs is an ugly mark.
Riley's OBP of .290 was the lowest mark in his career (by far) since 2019.
He was demoted in the lineup to pretty much last, but that didn't seem to help Riley's production with the bat.
He will need to have a better 2027 season, or the noise will start to get louder about his future within the organization.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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