KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Freddie Freeman turns 32 in September 2021, just before his new, eight-year, $135 million contract expires. Freeman should still be an elite first baseman by then, and could possibly have some good years remaining. But the Atlanta Braves signed him up for his prime.

They did the same with Andrelton Simmons, their magician at shortstop; Craig Kimbrel, their indomitable closer; and Julio Teheran, their impressive right-handed starter. Those four contracts, all signed between Feb. 5 and Feb. 20, secured 25 prime-age seasons for a total of $267.4 million.

“That was our driving force: We were really young and talented, and if we were going to keep this group together for an extended period of time, they were still going to be 30 or below when the contracts expired,” General Manager Frank Wren said Monday. “That was a big part of it for us. Philosophically, we were not going to extend into the 30s on these long deals.”

The Braves were the among the majors’ youngest teams last season, but they did not suffer the usual growing pains. They won 96 games and the National League East title, reaching the playoffs for the third time in four seasons before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers.