Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves. (Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)
The Atlanta Braves are the favorites to re-sign first baseman Freddie Freeman, but there is one holdup in getting a deal done with the 2020 NL MVP and 2021 World Series champion.
Atlanta Braves fans better hope the front office does the right thing and makes sure the face of the franchise Freddie Freeman does not leave in free agency.
The pressure is all on general manager Alex Anthopoulos to bring back Atlanta’s perennial All-Star first baseman this offseason. Freeman is on a hall-of-fame trajectory entering his age-32 season. He has only played for the Braves organization since getting drafted out of high school in 2007. Letting Freeman walk would be the definition of blasphemy. Atlanta cannot screw this contract up.
While Anthopoulos and the rest of the Braves organization are confident they can get a deal done with Freeman, there does seem to be one major holdup in getting the 2020 NL MVP and 2021 World Series champion to put pen to paper.
Freddie Freeman free agency: Braves 1B wants a sixth year on new contract
Though teams like the New York Yankees are interested in adding Freeman, Atlanta is still the clear front-runner to re-sign him. The holdup over him signing a new contract with the Braves is about the sixth year. This would mean Freeman would be 39-years-old by the time this theoretical contract expires. In short, it would guarantee that he will spend his entire career with the Braves.
At this point, it does not matter how much Freeman wants in his free agency, pay the man. He brought Braves Country its first World Series championship in 26 years only a few weeks ago. Letting him walk would be like letting Chipper Jones walk. You don’t let the cornerstone of your franchise leave under any circumstances. The backlash Atlanta would receive would be unreal.
Freeman has earned every penny he would ever hope to make on any Braves contract, now and in the future, so pay the many his money.