Sensing a pattern: Braves sign Simmons to 7/$58 extension

[nattysez]

http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2014/2/20/5430178/braves-sign-andrelton-simmons-to-7-year-58-million-extension
 
With the Freeman and Kimbrel deals, and now this, the Braves have a nice core all set for the foreseeable future.
 
The fact that Heyward hasn't gotten an extension yet suggests that the Braves are OK letting him go, his agent is demanding too much to extend him, or they want to see if he can stay healthy before giving him a long-term deal.

 

[MakMan44]

I think it's the last one. I read yesterday on MLBTR that suggest they want to have him as a Brave at least through the first year of their new stadium, which equals about 2 years of his FA. 
 

rites that "the expectation is that after next season, the Heyward deal can be expanded so that he, too, will be locked up at least through the first year in the new ballpark."  Such a deal would require extending Heyward through at least his first two free agent years, which could get very expensive for the Braves if Heyward finally breaks out into stardom, as many have predicted for the young outfielder.

 
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140219&content_id=67921174&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb&tcid=tw_article_67921174
 
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/02/quick-hits-buxton-heyward-padres-saunders.html

 

[Manramsclan]

http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2014/2/20/5430178/braves-sign-andrelton-simmons-to-7-year-58-million-extension
 
With the Freeman and Kimbrel deals, and now this, the Braves have a nice core all set for the foreseeable future.
 
The fact that Heyward hasn't gotten an extension yet suggests that the Braves are OK letting him go, his agent is demanding too much to extend him, or they want to see if he can stay healthy before giving him a long-term deal.

 
I agree. They are confident in their core and want to keep these guys together. I think they are wise to do so.
 
There is another possibility regarding Heyward's contract: he wants to go to free agency to maximize his earnings.

 

[bosockboy]

Heyward 's FA dovetails perfectly with Victorino leaving after 2015.

 

[Conigliaro's Potential]

As a Braves fan, all I can say is that this has been about as great an offseason as you can have without bringing a new star into your team through a trade or free agency - don't forget the Teheran extension, as well as the deals for Simmons/Freeman/Heyward/Kimbrel. Not one of those deals was over market value, and they keep a very good young core together for a long time. Given that Atlanta comfortably won the NL East last year despite fielding two of the worst everyday players in the league (at least one of whom is odds-on to revert somewhere toward the mean), I'd say the future looks pretty decent.