Drake Baldwin gets bad news on contract extension update with Braves

The Atlanta Braves have been the best team in Major League Baseball this season, and a huge reason has been their starting rotation playing much better than expected.

But another big reason for the success early this season has been their offense, and more specifically, the production of catcher Drake Baldwin.

After winning Rookie of the Year in 2025, he's playing great once again. However, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Baldwin got some bad news on a possible extension with Atlanta, not yet engaging in contract talks with their catcher.

Braves have yet to engage in extension talks with Drake Baldwin

"The Braves, however, have yet to seriously engage Baldwin in discussions on an extension, according to people briefed on the matter," Rosenthal reports.

This is a noteworthy update for the Braves and Baldwin, as Atlanta has been one of the more proactive teams when it comes to signing their players long-term.

Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris, and many others were signed to long-term deals early in their careers so the Braves could get a discount in the long-term.

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Baldwin is coming off winning Rookie of the Year, and is putting together another incredible season so far with 1.8 bWAR and a .313 average with nine homers, 46 hits, and 33 runs scored (both lead MLB), and a .922 OPS in 36 games.

At just 25 years old, Baldwin is the exact kind of player the Braves would do well to sign long-term. But Atlanta hasn't shown any indication just yet that it wants to extend him beyond his years of control.

They have until the 2030 season to make a long-term decision on Baldwin, but if they don't find a deal by then, the ascending catcher who might be in MVP talks soon will have the chance to leave the Braves and sign a large deal elsewhere.

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