That “ 1 average year and 1 terrible year” contract is what keeps mid market teams from making necessary upgrades, forces them to trade great players in later stages of arbitration, and compels managers to play a player way past their expiration date in hopes of rebounding their value. It’s basically a death sentence for a team like the Braves, especially when they project to have a weaker farm system at that point due to the international penalties.
There’s also a real possibility with JD that he has leg problems early on in this contract and he basically sinks your Acuna/Albies/Freeman window of contention singlehanded.
The Braves need to be willing to take on a degree of this risk if they want to be elite which is why nearly everyone supports the notion of the 3 year deal.