Braves' Drake Baldwin gets contract update that aligns with Atlanta precedent

Drake Baldwin is the latest young player to rise to MLB with the Atlanta Braves.

If the Braves follow their trends, there's a contract coming soon for Baldwin.

They've made it a habit of signing their rising stars to long-term deals. It works out in some ways for both sides of a negotiation.

The player gets long-term security. And if the player turns into a star, the Braves have gotten a value relative to what he would've gotten paid otherwise.

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That brings Baldwin to the stage.

In a new MLB.com article, Mark Feinsand writes that Baldwin is a major candidate to get a new deal sooner rather than later.

"No club has had more success locking up its young talent than the Braves, who have signed at least a half-dozen players to extensions in recent years," Feinsand writes. "Baldwin, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, is under control for five more years and won’t even be arbitration-eligible for two more seasons, but if Atlanta believes he’s the long-term answer behind the plate, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Braves try to extend him to buy out his arbitration years and possibly a free-agent year or two."

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There's not a ton of downside here for Atlanta. Baldwin plays a premium defensive position and can hit. 

Could he totally fade away before a deal ended? Maybe. But that certainly doesn't seem likely.

The Braves don't have to rush, given that they have Baldwin under his entry-level contract for another five years.

But hey, getting a deal done is what the Braves do, so that might happen soon.

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