Braves extend C Suzuki another year

The Atlanta Braves agreed to extend the contract of catcher Kurt Suzuki through the 2018 season, general manager John Coppolella announced Saturday.

The teams did not release financial terms.

Suzuki, who turns 34 next month, is batting .271 with a career-high 18 home runs in just 76 games (255 at-bats) in his first season with the Braves.

Suzuki spent the previous three seasons with the Minnesota Twins. Last year, he batted .258 with 34 runs, 24 doubles, eight home runs and 49 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2014.

Over 11 major league seasons, Suzuki has a career .256 average with 1,140 hits in 1,284 games (1,224 games at catcher). Since 2007, he is third among catchers with 227 doubles.

The Hawaiian native was a second-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics in 2004 and played six seasons with the A’s until being traded to the Washington Nationals in August 2012. He was traded back to Oakland a year later before signing with the Twins as a free agent.