Braves fans got an early Christmas present Friday morning when it was announced that the team had signed Ender Inciarte to a five-year extension. Acquired in the Shelby Miller/Dansby Swanson deal, Inciarte has established himself as the Braves’ leadoff man and one of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball. The deal has a club option for a sixth season and will pay Inciarte $30.5 million over the first five years. The option for 2022 will be $9 million.
This signing will forego the arbitration process with Inciarte and gives the Braves two extra years of control over Inciarte. This deal is nearly identical to the deal that the Phillies gave Odubel Herrera just a few years ago. For Inciarte, this ensures that he will not have to go through arbitration, and he gets a slight pay bump to give the Braves a couple extra years of control.
The Braves will hope that Inciarte can keep up the momentum from his historical second-half campaign.