The Braves have signed newly acquired first baseman Matt Olson to an eight-year, $168MM contract that runs through the 2029 season, the team announced today. Atlanta also has a $20MM club option for a ninth season. Olson is represented by Jet Sports.
Atlanta, one of the few organizations that publicly discloses contract terms, further announced that Olson will earn $15MM this coming season and $21MM in 2023 before being paid at a $22MM annual rate in the contract’s final six seasons. Olson is also donating $1.68MM to the Atlanta Braves Foundation as part of the deal. It’s the third-largest contract ever signed by a player with between four and five years of MLB service, trailing only Joey Votto and Giancarlo Stanton.
Anthopoulos and his front office wasted little time in solidifying that Olson, along with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, is now one of the key building blocks for a team that hopes to build on last year’s World Series run. “He’s now part of this core,” president of baseball operations told reporters, adding that he and agent B.B. Abbott “worked all day and all night” on the extension as soon as the trade to acquire Olson had been finalized (video link via Bally Sports). The guaranteed portion of Olson’s contract expands even beyond that of Acuna, though the Braves hold club options on Acuna for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. Albies’ contract runs through at least 2025 and carries club options for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
Olson had been projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $12MM this coming season, and he was owed one final raise in arbitration in 2023 before he’d been set to hit the open market. He’ll forgo six free-agent seasons on the would-be deal, likely securing somewhere in the range of $138MM or so for those six free-agent seasons. The new contract surpasses that of Olson’s predecessor, Freddie Freeman, for the largest contract in the franchise’s history.
The $168MM guarantee to Olson surpasses the Braves’ reported $140MM offer to Freeman, though it’s surely critical to the Braves and to ownership at Liberty Media that Olson is 27 years old (28 later this month). Freeman is 32, and he’d be 38 by the time a six-year deal — his reported asking price — wrapped up. Olson, meanwhile, is now signed through his age-35 season. That age discrepancy, and the considerably lighter annual value on Olson’s deal, were surely driving factors in the Braves’ comfort level with putting forth a commitment of this magnitude to Olson but apparently not going to six years on Freeman.
While Olson and Freeman will now be inextricably linked for the foreseeable future, Olson made clear yesterday that he doesn’t intend to compare himself to Freeman, whom he called a “hell of a player” (Twitter link, with video, from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matt Kawahara). “I’m just going to go out there and do what Matt Olson does,” he added.
That’s good news for Braves fans, as there’s quite little that Olson does not do well. The lefty-swinging slugger belted a career-high 39 home runs in 2021 and took home a second Gold Glove Award at first base that is unlikely to be his last. Olson was strikeout prone earlier in his career, but he slashed his strikeout rate by more than 10 percentage points last season, finishing the year at 16.8% — not substantially higher than his gaudy 13.1% walk rate. Since Opening Day 2019, Olson’s 89 home runs are tied with Nelson Cruz for the third-most in MLB, trailing only Pete Alonso (106) and Eugenio Suarez (95).
With Olson now signed, the Braves’ payroll jumps to a projected $156MM this coming season — the highest total in franchise history. They already have about $84MM on the books in 2023, and as far out as 2026 they’ll have at least $43MM set in stone (likely rising to $50MM, assuming Albies remains healthy and has his $7MM club option picked up that season).
A year ago, a changing of the guard at first base like this would’ve felt unthinkable to Braves fans — and for many, that may still be the case. The Olson extension adds even more finality to the end of the Freddie Freeman era in Atlanta, and as the Braves look toward starting a new chapter in franchise history, they’ll do so with the Atlanta-born Olson manning first base and anchoring the heart of the order alongside Acuna and Albies.
Boom.
Goes the dynamite
Love this deal, AA does it again with another contract for the Braves.
For those that don’t know BB Abbott (Olson’s agent) was also Chipper Jones’ agent and childhood friend. Jets Sports Management is also the agency with Brian McCann – so there’s no coincidence how this all took place. Agents and their clients usually have close relationships, which help with extensions, etc.
AA is a smart dude, but tell me how smart he is the last 3 or 4 years on this contract. This is a long contract which seldom seems to work out (except Scherzer). I like the trade, but not the long contract.
Huge risk, we’ll see what happens
@Curly. Only 6 years. Not going to get a 28 year old to sign unless you pay him until he is 35 36
It’s not a huge risk, imo for a 1B.
@YourDreamGM AA may be right, but you hear so many teams complain about the long contracts they’re stuck in. I hope I’m wrong
I’m also a big fan of FF. If AA is wrong & I’m still alive, I’ll let him know
Just an addendum, I lived in NY when the Mets won in ’69. I have to admit that when the Braves took it all in 2021, I got the same magical feeling. AA seems to call a lot of the shots & does it well. Good luck to AA and the Braves.
Any Braves fans remember 1st baseman Nick Esasky? Anything can happen
Yup. Got a 4 years younger player for 2 more years and saved about 12 million dollars. I believe Freeman wanted 6 years for 180 million from the Braves. He may get more from another team. AA made an unemotional unsentimental decision. Can we trade him for Brian Cashman, please!!!!!
You mean the same Cashman that hasn’t won a World Series since 2009? That one?
His last year will be played when he has just turned 35, not that ancient of an age.
universal DH my guy. plus he’ll only be 35. chipper played until what 41? not saying olson is Chip, but they are both ballplayers and they both man(ned) a hot corner. better than losing him in 2 years. plus it gives the FO financial certainty in one area
Great signing, Olson was definitely the best all around player on our team. He was our most consistent hitter and Chapman probably wouldn’t have won those platinum gloves without Olson saving so many errors.
I do wonder about his post season potential, a lot of those power numbers were location mistakes, something you wont see as much in the playoffs.
This looks like a great extension by the Braves. They traded for Olson and right after they gave him an extension to play for the team for a lot of years. It’s not cool that Freeman is leaving the Braves, but to me is better than overpaying him. Great job by Alex Anthopoulos.
Freeman probably kicking himself now. If only he had a time machine.
He’d need to take that time machine back to when he was 28…
Freeman kicking himself? He’ll most likely get that 6th year & be forever wealthy. I wouldn’t kick myself, I’d hug myself & yell YEAH!
Hello Curly,
On the face of it though Atlanta are getting 8 seasons of the 28 year old Olson, for less money than they’d have paid for six seasons of the 32 year old Freeman.
As an A’s fan I’m gutted he’s gone but even adding in the prospects the Braves have made a sound deal here. He’s got the albatross reach of a Tyson Fury and hoovered up some eccentric offerings from Semien and Chapman who has a bullet up his arm and plays deep – relying on that arm. That needs a 1B with catcher skills.
It’s a lot of pressure to replace the face of a franchise – but he Braves have got an absolute gem in Olson.
Leaves me wondering if FFs market is more than just NYY & the Dodgers.
SY what you will but AA has been signing the best deals in baseball since he came to Atlanta.
He’s not too shabby with deadline trades, either 🙂
Lfg
Shiver me timbers. Ahahahaha!
YES!!
Hometown boy makes out good.
Should have given the money to Freddie.
Freddie is 5 years older and Olson is in his prime. You lose nothing in the field with Olson over freeman, gain more power and save money that can be used elsewhere. Freddie will get his money but this was the smarter move for atlanta.
Sorta. They gave up a ton of talent for Olson, so if any of those guys hit their ceiling for 6 cost controlled seasons, it probably offsets whatever margins Olson gives them over Freeman.
The way AA drafts, these guys will be lucky to make the majors lol
Don’t really know much of that considering all of his top picks went unsigned b/c of medicals (now in Japan) or have been traded away: Shea/Susick. Shuster is the only 1st rd remaining under AA regime and while he looks questionable so far, he was drafted in the 2020 mini-Draft (5 rounds) — really hard to put that under a microscope. Also, factor in that some picks were taken away from Coppy’s scandal early on, and he just now has the freedom of no international free agent sanctions, which helps with depth and effects your draft choices.
Dig further…look at who he drafted with the Blue Jays. Travis Snider and Deck McGuire come to mind…I don’t think anyone he drafter with the Blue Jays turned into more than a AAAA player.
You would think after all these years that folks would finally start to realize that unproven talent in this sport isn’t even close to the same as proven productivity. I mean, there are only 4 number 1 overall draft picks EVER in the HoF, and two of those are highly debatable on their worthiness. In MLB, more than any other of the Big 3, the talent is far more likely to “bust” than it is to translate to ceiling-level productivity at the major league level. With all this in mind, except in the most exceedingly rare of cases, you should always go with the proven productivity over the unproven potential when making such decisions. And none of the prospects ATL gave up fall anywhere close to the “exceedingly rare of cases” category. Understandable sentiment for Freeman aside, this was a clear correct choice for ATL as an organization.
I’m well aware prospects don’t always pan out. Nothing to do with the point. The point is Olson cost the Braves more than just money, which is *all* Freeman would have cost, and any math done between the two different contracts those two guys might get *needs* to include the valuation of 4 players combining to likely produce *some* amount of positive WAR value for six cost controlled years.
Right, but you’re admitting there that any such comparison is substantively meaningless, because you have no objective way to value how those four, UNPROVEN, prospects will pan out. Thus, any arguments about their value and how it affects the trade surplus value for either team is purely subjective and correspondingly meaningless. All we have in that context, since no one reliably has a crystal ball, are past trends… which clearly suggest none of them will turn out in such a way to make this trade’s currently measurable valuation change. And all that is WITHOUT adding in the time-value aspect of prospect valuation vs. established player valuation (i.e., ATL doesn’t need/want prospect value in 2022, they want established production for NOW; OAK doesn’t need/want “win now” value, they want future (potential) value).
Yeah that Vladimir Guerrero JR guy didn’t work out at all.
Yeah that Vladimir Guerrero JR. guy didn’t work out at all.
Olson is younger (as mentioned) and gad more WAR than Freeman in 2021.
It isn’t “meaningless” or “subjective” just because it’s currently unknown. It will BECOME known, at which point the actual value of everything that transpired can take place. Just because people wanna weigh in to demand answers to the “who won” question right now doesn’t mean the answer is available now. As it stands, IF even one of those prospects pans out to even a league average player, it negates pretty much any gains on the financial margins. And that’s not a tall order at all. So, again, we will see. “Meaningless” my a$$.
RE: CHIN MUSIC “I dont think” really sums up your post quite well.
2014 1 9 9Jeff Hoffman P East Carolina University
2014 1 11 Max Pentecost C Kennesaw State University
2014 2 49 Sean Reid-Foley RHP Sandalwood High School (Jacksonville, FL)
2014 8 234 Justin Shafer RHP University of Florida
2013 1 10 Phil Bickford RHP Oaks Christian High School (Westlake Village, CA)
2013 2 47 Clinton Hollon RHP Woodford County High School (Versailles, KY)
2013 6 175 Matt Boyd P Oregon State University
2013 9 265 Chad Girodo LHP Mississippi State University
2013 12 355 Tim Mayza P Millersville University of Pennsylvania
2013 15 445 Jonathan Davis OF University of Central Arkansas
2013 16 475 Danny Jansen C Appleton West High School (Appleton, WI)
2013 17 505 Eric Lauer LHP Midview High School (Grafton, OH)
2013 30 895 Rowdy Tellez 1B Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove, CA)
2012 1 17 D.J. Davis OF Stone County (Wiggins,MS)
2012 1 22 Marcus Stroman P Duke University
2012 1 50 Matt Smoral P Solon (Solon,OH)
2012 1 58 Mitch Nay 3B Hamilton High School (Chandler, AZ)
2012 1 60 Tyler Gonzales P Madison High School (San Antonio, TX)
2012 2 81 Chase DeJong P Wilson High School (Long Beach, CA)
2012 15 475 Ryan Borucki LHP Mundelein High School (Mundelein, IL)
2012 27 835 Daniel Zamora LHP Bishop Amat Memorial High School (La Puente, CA)
2011 1 21 Tyler Beede RHP Lawrence Academy (Groton, MA)
2011 1 35 Jacob Anderson OF Chino High School (Chino, CA)
2011 1 46 Joe Musgrove P Grossmont High School (El Cajon, CA)
2011 1 53 Dwight Smith OF McIntosh High School (Peachtree City, GA)
2011 1 57 Kevin Comer P Seneca High School (Tabernacle, NJ)
2011 2 74 Daniel Norris P Science Hill High School (Johnson City, TN)
2011 2 78 Jeremy Gabryszwski P Crosby High School (Crosby, TX)
2011 6 199 Anthony DeSclafani P University of Florida
2011 9 289 Andrew Suarez LHP Columbus High School (Miami, FL)
2011 11 349 Andy Burns SS University of Arizona
2011 18 559 Jon Berti 2B Bowling Green State University
2011 19 589 Luke Weaver P DeLand High School (DeLand, FL)
2011 29 889 Taylor Cole P Brigham Young University
2011 32 979 Kevin Pillar CF Cal State Dominguez Hills
2010 1 11 Deck McGuire RHP Georgia Institute of Technology
2010 1 34 Aaron Sanchez P Barstow (Barstow,CA)
2010 1 38 Noah Syndergaard P Mansfield Legacy High School (Mansfield, TX)
2010 1 41 Asher Wojciechowski P The Citadel
2010 2 61 Griffin Murphy P Redlands East Valley (Redlands, CA)
2010 2 69 Kellen Sweeney 3B Jefferson High School (Cedar Rapids, IA)
2010 2 80 Justin Nicolino P University High School (Orlando, FL)
2010 4 126 Sam Dyson P University of South Carolina
2010 6 186 Sean Nolin P San Jacinto College
2010 16 486 Dalton Pompey CF John Fraser (Mississauga,ON)
2010 18 546 Kris Bryant 3B Bonanza High School (Las Vegas, NV)
2010 37 1116 Chad Green
Im guessing 36-38 per year for freeman.
Vs 22 for olson.
That is one hell of a difference over 6 years.
84-96 mil?
No, that’s still not entirely correct; it’s meaningless (now) precisely because we don’t know these answer now. And – most importantly – none of the decision-makers have access to these unknown answer now, at the time the trade is being made. So yes, it remains a meaningless and subjective exercise (implied, today, to clarify the one point I agree with). Yes, we can all circle back in 3 or 4 years and reevaluate when the known unknowns become measurable, but that is the very epitome of meaningless in 2022 terms.
And also – this is very important – the negation argument you’re making isn’t correct either because of the time-value aspect of all of this that I previously alluded to but didn’t get into the weeds on. Even if Pache, for example, turns into an All-Star in a couple years, that’s meaningless to the value that the Braves want (and get/got) out of this trade NOW. They don’t want or need someone who “might” excel in the future; they need someone NOW who has a reasonably reliable track record of production to depend on NOW. If it were any different, than the trade wouldn’t be possible as the teams wouldn’t be trying to meet different goals. Inequality (of desires and resources) are the very things that enable exchanges in the first place. No one wants to trade an apple for an identical apple – what’s the point?
It’s equally meaningless to OAK how well Olson will perform in 2022, because it’s not germane to their goals – which are longer-term (hence, the prospects vice MLB-ready players, and why they’re willing to unload him in the first place).
@candymaldonado with comp pick they can draft another of those pitchers or pache types. They failed to develop Pache. Catching prospect is the only big hard to replace piece.
It isn’t meaningless to discuss players gained and lost in a series of complimentary transactions, you insufferable twit. Spill all the words you want. If one or two of those players becomes a star, the Braves were better off just paying Freeman. That’s the point. It isn’t hard to understand, everyone else gets it, and no matter how many words you wanna spill saying it’s meaningless, it isn’t meaningless, and we will only know after some time if paying Freeman was better than paying slightly less AND losing players. The end.
Oh. My. God.
LOL… psychological projection 101.
Also, Olson production isn’t “germane” to the A’s 2022 plans because they quite clearly are blowing it up to compete way later on, and a soon to be expensive first baseman doesn’t fit that. Whereas the Braves, making the decision between two first basemen with comparable production choosing to go with the younger one *quite* clearly conveys a desire to stay competitive now, and also build a core several years down the line wherein the potential value of the surrendered prospects very much *does* matter.
I swear to God some people just like to miss obvious points to fight. Muting you now for my own sake.
Speaking of missing points, you really need to study concepts like praxeology to even understand the argument before you, Muting me doesn’t make your arguments any less… pedestrian and ineffectual. But last word if it makes you feel better about stuff I guess.
Vladdy was an international free agent signing = not drafted
Shoguneye – Thanks for this, this looks great! So from what I can see, only 4-5 actually contributing at a high level over 5 drafts and maybe another handful of fringe players. I don’t think I would count guys drafted and not signed (Bryant, Bickford, and Beede specifically) but fair enough for including them in your analysis.
Maybe AA was a bit better at drafting than I’m giving him credit for.
That’s why Travis had to be a pirate.
You would think after all these years of following baseball you would realize the value of prospects has never been higher. Teams with the number one ranked farm lately include, braves (WS), dodgers (WS), Redsox (WS), Astros (WS) cubs (WS) and rays would have won more games since 2008 then like 24/30 teams in the same time period.
True, but we’re talking 4 pretty highly rated prospects here. It’s quantity AND quality to an extent. If we were talking one or two prospects I’d be right there with you.
Not saying it was a bad move, just that I can understand the concern others have.
“They don’t want or need someone who “might” excel in the future; they need someone NOW who has a reasonably reliable track record of production to depend on NOW.”
This argument doesn’t hold any water since, after all, Freeman would likely fit that bill for the next two-to-three years. After that all bets would be off, but according to your position it wouldn’t matter because the Braves goals consist of the here and now.
Braves did the right thing by trading For Olson and extending 8yrs. Not worried about the prospects. You never know with prospects will do… Marlins got nothing out of Yelich trade… Brinson, 5 tool player, released, just signed minor league contract somewhere… Pache, great field, speed, no hit, some players are late bloomers, but true hitters, rake from day one… Go Braves
Olson has the chance to make an impact on the Braves, Atlanta, GA and baseball… Chipper handed the torch to Freddie, now torch handed off to Olson, Acuna, Max Fried and kid pitchers.. Go Braves!
Then again the prospects could go the way of Oscar Taveras. With such an unknown future, they got to go with what they know.
It’s meaningless right now but not in the future. Ask the Cardinals about Oscar Taveras and how much they counted on him and what happened. Anything can happen.
@SheaGoodbye – No, you’re using my point contextually differently than how I made it. I never said Freeman didn’t also fit the bill for the here and now, nor did I say the Braves didn’t want him, nor did I say (contextually, that’s important) that the Braves’ ONLY goals, universally, are for the here and now. I was stating that quoted point in the context of this trade and this trade alone. I would love to be talking about Freeman still being a Brave today, but it takes two to tango and Freddie didn’t want to tango to the offered beat, clearly. So the Braves had to pivot to the next option. Which – and this is the important context part – meant satisfying a here and now need met by Olson vice valuing down-the-road possibilities that may never materialize more with those prospects involved. And that’s indisputably self-evident by the fact the trade occurred. Objectively, we can observe that the Braves (well, AA) think Olsen’s value as an immediate plug-in is worth more, today, than the probabilities involved with all four of those prospects. That signals that they are weighting the time-value of proven performance now over potential tomorrow, so to speak.
@Keath Good insight. It’s unfortunate that some can’t understand this concept. It’s a good deal on both sides. They both got what they wanted. A+
@BigBoy- they didn’t lose “nothing” on the field. The Olson extension makes this incredibly easy to breakdown, too. The Braves will have:
1B Olson @21m
C TDA @8m
They could have had Freeman for around that combined total, I’d imagine. Then they’re spending ML minimum at C with Langaliers, and potentially two BP arms in the prospects traded and a CF in Pache. Even if two of those don’t pan out, I feel like the Braves lost more than they gained by not signing Freeman.
You’re playing funny math there a bit though.. TDA was already signed. The better comp is Atlanta got Olson and whoever they sign next with the savings. Travis was going to be in Atlanta next season regardless and Langaliers isn’t ready so there’s no reducing that price tag this season.
Such a Forrest Gump take.
They saved money this season, yes- but isn’t the beyond the whole issue people are stressed about? The sky is falling crowd things there would be no money for Riley, etc, etc…
Someone show me the long run savings.
How do you not see the long term savings? Freeman was going to cost you 30 million or more per season. Olson will never cost you more than 22 million while being 4-5 years younger.
Who is playing Catcher? TDA this year, yes. Beyond though, when they would have had Langaliers. A marginal catcher costs 8m dollars.
If the whole issue is 8m dollars floats or sinks this ship, you start Langaliers in ’23 and you don’t need an expensive catcher for 8 seasons
Appalachian..you may be forgetting the most important part of this deal that Atlanta gained…it’s called 5 years of YOUTH…in Olson… Those prospects are just that ..Prospects ! They’ve done nothing. MAYBE they’ll be good…time will tell.. Plus let’s not forget that Olson’s numbers were in Oakland, not exactly a hitters park…AND a much better lineup…..did somebody say 45 hrs and 120+ ribbies ????
Contreras seems to be forgotten
There’s also no guarantee as to how Olson adjusts @Yankee. The park argument is solid, but he’s changing leagues and stepping into a LOT of pressure.
I also get the prospect argument, but I’m sold on Langaliers. I believe he’s going to be a stud Catcher. The rest, yeah, I don’t know. Pache may never hit enough, and the pitchers have their questions. If just Langaliers pans out though, I still don’t like this.
@jachhammer- I didn’t forget, I’m just not sold.
With Olson, 2yrs plus 8yr Yr extension, Braves have additional 20m option…. I see several World Series, and hopefully some rings…NL EAST good division with Mets, if Marlins ever get bats, pitching is big… Philly Ok… If Philly gets another hitter may make it interesting…
8 year deal would have put Freddie at close to age 40. And would he have accepted $20 mill aav~ ?
I think Freeman is looking for 30m AAV. He would not have taken a 33% cut just for 2 more years in my opinion. He will get 6/180 from LA, NY, or Boston.
Not from Boston. No way. Not at age 32.
They tried to give him this money… he didn’t want it.
Check that, I’m pretty sure his wife was making the decision to go to the Dodgers. She looks like an LA gal…
Yeah apparently she’s trying to launch some kinda clothing or jewelry brand. I think she’s the one pushing for L.A.
As someone born and raised in LA, she looks like she’s from Florida.
Maybe Miami, but certainly not Cocoa Beach.
Easy, I grew up in Florida, but I moved to Georgia.
@Braveslifer- “She looks like an LA gal”? This is based on what exactly?
Reports are the Braves made this trade and never gave Freeman a heads up. Why put this on Freddie’s wife now?
The Dodgers had interest, so of course Freeman listened. Alex got impatient. This one is squarely on Alex and the Braves.
100% this. She’s going to have a women’s clothing line in about 13 seconds after they announce the LA deal. Have felt all along she was pushing for a move west.
??? She’s from Florida.
Unfortunately, Freeman sat on his hands too long. Braves needed a first baseman on the roster before the season started. I still wish Freddie would return but that looks unlikely now.
She grew up in Florida, yes.
Lol. I went to look at pics, and my first thought before reading anything was “She looks like a southern belle type”.. and then I read she’s from Atlanta..
And good on the Braves and AA. Made the right move when FF dragged his feet.
Ya, she looks like a rube
Put it this way, Freddie ain’t getting her if he drives a UPS truck.
The greatest Braves player of all time (Hank Aaron) didn’t finish his career in Braves uniform. Dale Murphy, who won more MVP award than Freeman, didn’t finish his career in Braves uniform. I am actually fine with Braves management to let Freeman go if his asking price was much higher than the figure the Braves were willing to pay and since they acquired the best Freeman replacement they could get in Olson.
Freddie is getting old.
They tried. He wouldn’t take it.
Lol wow really rubbing it in Freeman’s face now. Honestly, Braves fans should be psyched, such a smarter move than signing Freeman.
What.
Well I guess this REALLY shuts the door on Freeman
I said the same thing. And the extension makes that prospect haul hurt less. It also frees up a little extra cash to put towards Riley and Fried.
It doesn’t, really. I’m guessing they saved about 9m bucks, but now they will need to keep TDA and sign a catcher beyond his deal.
Contreras
It does really. Look at the contract breakdown for the first couple of yrs.
why does Atlanta get dudes to sign at such discounts?
8/170 is not a discount, especially for a firstbasman
It’s a discount for a player of his caliber.
Considering that he still had 2 years of control, is 28 and has only had one truly great season thus far, I don’t think it’s really much of a discount. It seems pretty fair.
That’s a steal.
He’ll the highest paid first baseman starting in 2024.
The only two making more are Goldy and Votto, which seems about right.
Freeman will get a higher AAV. They just signed a star through his prime for what stars sighed for 10 years ago.
Not for a first baseman. There are loads of quality hitters at that position.
@DarkSide830
Have you still not heard about the chicken wings here?
local guy wanting to stay, i guess.
funny enough, this isn’t even the first time the braves have traded for someone from the a’s, then got him to sign long term deal before playing a game.
they did the same thing with tim hudson.
That trade just went A+++
8 years – $168M and he still is hanging at the Jomboy house. Couldn’t happen to a better person. Congrats, hometown hero.
Did not see that coming.
Yeah now I think it’s a good move. Because now you have 3 prime years of Olson + 5
Doesn’t anyone else think Olsen could turn back into a pumpkin? So every Braves fan is all in on this guy? Just because he’s a hometown guy? There’s a big difference between hitting meatballs off of Rangers and Angels pitchers at 12:30am in lopsided games in front of 4500 fans than playing in Atlanta and some of the higher profile markets in that division. Good luck
No, no one else thinks this.
Are you serious?
Bucs, it’s not easy to have strong power numbers playing half your games in Oakland…
Its not easy to have a high avg in Oakland, but there have been many power hitters coming from Oakland.
You guys can trash me all you want, but the Braves were a pedestrian .500 team until Freddy caught fire last year. Olsen can’t carry a team like that.
bucsfan, did Freddie carry the team by himself or did Riley, Duvall, Rosario, and Soler not help. I know you’re not used to real baseball in Pittsburgh but this wasn’t a one man show.
Good lord. The braves caught fire for many being on fire. The A’s won alot of games with Olson being their best producer for a while. I dont get your take.
@bucsfan0004 trash take, muted
Dont like your name or the concept it represents. Muted.
Is it that miserable being a Pirate’s fan?
bucs:
you do realize those games are at 9:30 local time, right?
seriously, time zones are a thing.
You do know about time zones, right? Olson wasn’t hitting 12:30am “meatballs” (in the largest MLB stadiums, smh…) just because you’re presumably watching it on the east coast. LOL.
I know it’s tough to cut the cord, but you can still cheer for Freddie hitting 12:30am meatballs.
Now I’m hungry.
Wow! Good deal! Feels like we are cheating hard on freeman lol but the aav is clearly better here and he’s younger
Price for Freeman and Rizzo just went down.
This brings Pujols back into the mix.
Ozuna is the DH. They need another outfielder.
Freddie Freeman eat your heart out!
Freddie got fingered.
Wow, Freeman really is yesterday’s news to braves fo
What a well run organization. Washington Nationals…take notes.
Makes sense, he’s a Georgia boy. Gives Atl a little discount and gets to play on a team that should continue pushing for more titles and at minimum a few playoff rounds
Good for ATL and good for Olson
But they couldn’t pay Freddie Freeman? Interesting.
More years and less overall money
And for a younger player who may potentially be better over the next 6 years than freeman will be.
Got Olson in his prime a lot cheaper than Freeman. Great deal for Braves.
It was never that they couldn’t. Just wasn’t financially prudent to do so.
They could always pay him. It’s apparent now that Freddie had no interest in coming back. This actually paints Freddie in a bad light.
Freddie is going to cost way more than 21 a year. Maybe 12 more? Isn’t he asking for 6/$200?
Nick4: Freddie turned down (supposedly) $135,000,000.00 (5 yr) deal from Atlanta. That’s $27,000,000.00 per year.
Leaves them some to resign Swansby, extend Riley. Fried will get some too. AA knows what he spend. This trade gave him a bit of wiggle room.
DArnaud is fine for now. They traded Langliers with the belief Contreras will develop. He was rushed a bit and they realized this. Better defensively than Langeliers. Might not have as much bat. But they traded from surplus.
Pache..eh. The 2 pitchers might work out, or might not. They’re built for the next 3 yrs minimum. Pitchers might not even be part of this run. Logically it makes sense if all in now.
Great deal for the Braves.
WHAT! Slams doors and screams! I guess I deserve that for being a mercenary!
Nine years is a really long time. Wonder if there is an opt out. Of course the nl dh helps.
AA is a very good GM. They lost Freeman and somehow got better.
Got better when? The deal is fine, but freeman is better than Olson is now, and the Braves gave up four prospects that could’ve made an impact in the next year or two.
The Braves made a solid move to get Olson once they decided they didn’t want to give Freeman a sixth year, but to say they “got better” is just pure fan bias.
“but freeman is better than Olson is now”
Olson posted 5.8 fWAR last year, Freeman was at 4.7.
Olson posted a 4.8 fWAR in 2019, Freeman was at 3.7.
Freeman had the better year in 2020 when he won the MVP, but that was over just a 60-game season.
WolvesSufferer
Got better when? The deal is fine, but freeman is better than Olson is now,
==================================
Olson was better than Freeman in 2021, and at their respective ages, I’d bet on that continuing.
I’d be a little upset if my name were Freddie freeman right now lol
I’d be upset with my agent if I were Freddie
How did they get that done so fast?!
Both parties wanted it. Just proves that Freddie has been the issue all along.
THIS
How does this prove it was Freeman?
The. Braves. Pivoted.
Alex gets on tv, drops a few tears, and now Freeman is the “bad” guy for negotiating?
Freeman claimed he wanted to be a Braves lifer. He turned down the contract that was worth a higher AAV that would’ve made that happen. The Braves just offered a longer contract when everyone was saying they would do more than a 5 yr contract. Literally everything points to Freddie. He has been my second favorite all time Brave behind Chipper so I like Freddie but he obviously only wanted big money, not the legacy of being a lifer.
Lol this is the smart play, Braves fans are too sentimental, I’m an A’s fan but greatly respect what they do in Atlanta. The Braves are great, their fans should be happy, and let that Freeman go be a burden on LA’s payroll in 3-4 years.
I am an extremely happy Braves fan. Yes, the sentiment of Freddie leaving stings, but the logic of finances and declining players with huge contracts says this is a great move. No, Freddie isnt declining currently, but by the second half of a 6 year contract, he will be well in decline and an expensive piece someone will be desperate to offload.
Freeman would be wise to take a Scherzer type deal if offered. Around $40 million per year for three or four years. He won’t be nearly as productive by year five so teams may not be willing to offer long-term deals.
It amuses me when people say fans are too sentimental, as if it’s just about a jersey. Go lay nine jerseys on the field, see how fun that is to watch.
I think quite a few fans care more about the name on the front than the name on the back
What a move! Locking him up for 2 extra years and (likely) less money overall then Freeman is about to get.
Don’t get me wrong losing Freeman is sad but now the Braves have a guy very capable of replacing Freeman locked up.
AA remains one of the most innovative GMs in the game. About 3/4 the cost of Freeman, with 2 extra years of “prime play” (because Olson’s younger) and better defense. Ya, it cost a few prospects; know what the nice thing about prospects is? Every July, you get 20 more (draft). And in January, another 20 (international).
I wish the A’s had smart owners like the Braves do but instead A’s have cheap owners who do not care about baseball but a investment.
Why haven’t they dumped Ozuna and his salary?
How will they dump Ozuna without eating all of his salary?
Universal DH now. He will start in LF to begin the season and go to DH once Acuna is back.
Think that’s six free agent years worth $131 million. ($37 million owed over the next two years)
Really think AA called Freeman’s bluff. Dodgers under Friedman don’t give out those long-term, nine figure deals to players in their mid to late 30’s (Mookie is the exception). They let Grienke, Scherzer, Machado, and Seager all walk under Friedman and didn’t grab guys like Harper when they were free agents. Not their MO to give a first baseman six years at 30+ million a year.
Braves balk and now all these other teams pop up. Makes me think Freeman’s market hasn’t materialized where his agent might have expected. He’ll end up somewhere, but who knows the length and dollars at this point.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the headline on my phone. I thought the Braves signed Freeman as well.
Same haha. Simultaneous joy and disappointment
I think the Braves made a huge mistake getting this guy to replace Freeman. I am not a Braves fan so I really hope I am right because I would love to see that team fall apart
AN even bigger mistake would have been not getting this guy to replace FF.
LOL there’s no way the team “falls apart.” There’s never a guarantee that a team will win a World Series but they will definitely be very competitive.
BK, you get blasted for negative comments towards this guy. Freeman is heading towards the HOF, and Braves fans seem to be happy having a better Olsen 5 years down the line than Freeman right now. Thats why Atlanta is a terrible sports town, one of the worst.
Great watching him throughout the beginning of his career. Seems like a good guy hope he stays that way! Good signing by the Braves!
Freeman should sign with the Mets or Phillies just to stick it to Atlanta. That would be comical.
Although, I think he’s going to the dodgers. Red Sox are an interesting team too. He would definitely fit that lineup and ballpark well
Freeman is a very POOR fit for the Red Sox because the Sox #1 prospect Triston Casas is 1B only and he’s ready to come up to the major leagues later this season. Casas saves the Sox hundreds of millions on 1B (using the Freeman Scale) for the next seven years. The Sox will surely be looking for OFers instead.
So you’re banking on a prospect who’s never made the majors to slot in as your first basemen for the next decade? No questions asked? Kinda risky if you ask me.
Going north to the Jays
He left gobs of money on the table. Not sure why.
WOW. And reports suggested they wouldn’t give the 6th year to Freeman.
I hated to see Freeman not sign with the Braves but this might be as good, or even better long term.
So they didn’t want to give Freddie 6 years and then come give this guy 8? I don’t think they wanted Freddie from the start.
Age 32 v age 27
That’s why
As much as I hate Freddie getting shafted by Atlanta, they made a very very smart baseball move and left emotions out of it.
Honestly if you have no problem with old players maybe you should have been holding out hope they would have pulled Crimedog out of retirement.
I was hoping they would bring back Julio Franco.
8 years at 21M AAV vs 6 years at 30M+ AAV?
Freeman at the end of a 6 year contract would be 38. Olson at the end of his 8 year contract will be 35. That’s why IMO.
If the A’s were smart they would have done this a year or two ago and for probably less. Good for you Mr. Olson, you will be missed but at least you’re getting what you deserve.
Great move by Braves. And VERY well executed. And makes prospect cost totally worth it.. Braves have Olson and Acuna locked in below market and very below market respectively. Good for them. How it plays out? Who knows! But all you can do is make the best decisions at the time and this certainly looks like that.
8/168 at 27 vs 6/180 at 32. No brainer.
AA is legit
Wow. That was *fast* and very fair. I thought it’d be for 8 years/$175M, but close enough. Done deal.
Atlanta doesn’t mess around and sticks to a budget.
Freddie played hardball. I trust our GM. Go Braves!
Braves called his bluff. Oh well.
Like the dude but can’t help thinking Chris Davis 2.0
suddenly losing Langeliers doesn’t sting as bad
AA does it again. The best GM in baseball.
Wow!
The world is upside down. It addresses my biggest concern of the trade though. At least now we’re not back at square 1 in 2 years minus prospects. Still can’t believe Freddie is gone though… None of this had to go down the way it did but the business of baseball is an ugly place these days.
What a complete idiot. Won’t pay Freddie but will pay Matt Olson.
How disrespectful for the face of your franchise.
#fireanthopoulos
Hahahahaha
Yes willing to pay a better player that is FIVE years younger!!!
You have no idea how the game works, do you?
I’m in the record saying the Braves should have given Freeman 6/180, but payinh 8/161 for Olsen, who everyone was speculating would get a bigger deal than Freeman 2 years from now, is a no brainer.
Now from a strategic standpoint ATL should see why they did this. From the hardcore fan standpoint many are going to be livid. Especially if Olson tanks (which I don’t think he will)
Hardcore fans also know Olson is from ATL…
Where a player comes from doesn’t really mean much
@Joseph Gonzalez It does to most players, not all.
This is great for Olson, great for the Braves, great for Atlanta, great for the fans, great for baseball.
Amen. I hated the trade at first but this makes it awesome.
I’ll miss Freddie but this is WAY better for the long term success of the team. Good move.
If Freddie had asked for 4 years at a high AAV he’d probably still be a Brave. The Braves got Olson, a great player on both sides of the ball, and now have him as a cornerstone.
Meanwhile Freddie is also a great player on both sides of the ball, and will sign with someone and be terrific for another 3-4 years. It’s clear that sentiment no longer drives MLB.
It’s probably a smart deal, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be wishing karma biting the Braves in the backside. Seriously, you do that to Freeman after a World Series’ win? You’re begging for a century-long curse that only a Red Sox, White Sox and Cubs fan would understand.
You’re basing this off what? I didn’t realize you were there for the negotiations. AA tell you they were trying to stick it to Fred?
8791Slegna: Freddie (supposedly) turned down $135,000,000.00 (5 yr deal) from Atlanta. That’s $27,000,000.00 per yr. Freddie’s pride (imo) got the best of him. That type of money secures his young son’s (Charlie) future grandchild’s financial future. If he really wanted to remain an Atlanta Braves lifer, he could have. He gave his all to the organization AND the community. I’m thankful for that but he decided to move on.
Well that was quick
Hopefully his NFT I just got on Candy goes up now
Great move all around.
TCB.
Wow.
First the big trade, then tte big contract. Looks like Atlanta got their guy.
freeman should have taken 5/135
his loss our gain
Excellent deal for the Braves. If he produces, (no reason to think he won’t) that contract might look very, very reasonable in a couple of years.
Honestly, no one has no idea has Olson will play in Atlanta. I think he’s good, but playing in front of 15,000 fans every home game with little on the line in Oakland is different than being in a pennant race in Atlanta.
You seem like you’d fit in better on the Braves’ facebook page. I suggest you go there.
Didn’t the As barely miss the postseason last year?
Didn’t the As win the division in 2020? And weren’t they a 97-win wildcard team in ‘18 and ‘19?
They’re gonna be trash in 2022 but their last 4 seasons have been pretty good and very competitive.
I’m sure facing DeGrom, Scherzer, Nola and Wheeler will be tougher than the AL West, but he’s a young 2x gold glove winner with 30+ HR pop and a .348 lifetime OBP. And fortunately for Olson, division games decreased from 19/team to 14/team.
This is ridiculous.
The A’s won 86 games last year and were in the WC hunt all year. They won the division in 2020 with the 2nd best record in the AL (and better record than the Braves). They won 97 games and the WC in 2019, same record as the Braves, but the Astros were a MASSIVELY better team than anything these Braves have ever had in their division. In 2018, the A’s again won the WC with 97 wins (while the Braves won a weak division with only 90 wins).
The A’s have a shoestring budget and don’t have great fan turnout but to say they have little on the line is absurd. They had more on the line than the Braves, considering, you know, they have an actual good team in their division (Mets are good in 2022 but up to 2022 the Braves competed against a bunch of second tier non-contenders).
Nats were a pretty nasty team before they blew the roster up. I seem to remember them beating Houston in a series not that long ago as well. I do agree the A’s have been punching above their weight for quite a while though. Olson is gonna be fine moving to the East.
The A’s do well for what they have and are successful to a degree, but they never have any expectations. With the Braves, Olson is replacing a legend, moving leagues, and facing better pitching (every team in the NL East has an ace… most have multiple ones). Oh, and he’s also joining the defending champs, who expect to repeat.
And of course, this is baseball. One of the greatest hitters I’ve ever seen (Pujols) became an albatross overnight. There’s always risk in a move like this because there’s no guarantee.
In 48 hrs AA goes from most hated man in Georgia to the most loved. Lol
That is NOT unanimous.
Great move by AA.
Gotta hand it to ATL, I was vocally questioning why they’d bother with a more expensive version of the Freeman decision in 2 years while giving up half their farm for Olson. But this is basically giving out the Freeman contract now to a guy 5 years younger, essentially hedging quite well against the future they gave up in the prospects to get him. Kudos! Now just gotta hope Olson is anything close to as consistent as Freddie now and ages as well 5 years down the road.
I dig it. Didn’t like Langeliers being included in the deal, but this definitely softens that stance.
As an A’s fan…
This is brilliant. Sends the right message.
Good job Atlanta Braves.
And I don’t even like them.
Talk about a hometown discount LFG braves!
Feeman to the Rays now.
This is a fair deal. He’d be around 8/200 in free agency so once the arbitration raises hes expected to get the next 2 years is accounted for that’s basically what he got. They probably have 6 years of him being good given his age.
Makes sense. I still want Freeman back. Can’t say he will prosper with another team.
AA does it again. What a steal!
Because he didn’t wanna give FF the 6th year, but was willing to empty the farm and give a .250 hitter 8 years? Seems legit.
you mad?
Not at all. My Tigers had no part. It’s just weird that they went back & forth all winter over a 6th year.
Olson is likely better.
So now we know the price of loyalty and production on the Braves side. Instead of $30M a year AAV, it’s a $21M AAV, saving $9M. We’ll toss in four prospects too! Acuna already knows he sold low and won’t even remain a Brave for life.
LordD99: Olson is also 4 yrs YOUNGER than Freeman. Re “loyalty”, if Freddie TRULY wanted to stay in Atlanta, he could’ve (should’ve) accepted the 5 yr $27,000,000.00 per year deal.
You sound overly emotional
Olson shortchanged himself by at least $30M…
Braves wouldn’t have given it to him. Does he want to wait 2 years and see if he stays healthy and hits as good? Obviously he didn’t.
Now you know what the offer for freeman
To quote Adele, “ We could have had it all but you played it to the beat”. FF I hope you’re happy with your extra $10m.
Can anybody say Chris Davis V2.0. Just saying.
muted
NOT
No, we don’t wanna give Freeman the sixth year…….. but we’ll empty our farm system and give Olson eight…….oooooooooooook!!
Yeah, I could certainly see the catcher hurting them because they are not easy to come by, especially now. I think that’s why OAK was so quick to grab him up. Now, OAK has three upper-tier catchers and can trade one to increase their depth, yet again.
Moronic. You understand the concept of age right
This deal could blow up in their face, like any long-term deal. I say that to note that if this works out, it reflects how short-sighted Cashman has become. He could’ve done the very same thing and been set at 1B for at least 5-6 really good years for a very reasonable price. He could prove to be a genius if Olson folds, maybe he will. But he could prove that the game and its newer GMs have simply passed him by too. Of course we don’t know the total asking price from the Yankees either, and that does matter. Maybe it was just prohibitive….
Very well could end up with a Chris Davis deal in a hurry.
It’s true & if it does, Cashman proves he’s invaluable.
HoosierBravo1989
Very well could end up with a Chris Davis deal in a hurry.
=================================
1-Theoretically, anyone could become Chris Davis.
2-Davis was never at Olson’s level. He was drafted much later, He had a horrific 58/11 K/W in the PCL at age 25, and was also a 200+ K guy.
If you are never to make a deal, because the guy could go Chris Davis on you, you’ll never make a deal. Olson looks really good. I’d bet real money he out-performs Freeman over the course of whatever term Freeman signs for.
Actually look at the numbers through his 27 age season they were nearly identical. In terms of everything
Better hitter than Davis and can play 1b. He will be fine if healthy.
Ridiculously team friendly.
News flash: Phillies sign Freeman to a 7 year deal
I just threw up in my mouth a little. That just might be worse than LA.
Can’t wait till they give Freddie his WS ring. That will be quite the uncomfortable optic.
Epic
Hope they do it with more class than what happened to Bob Uecker, they threw his into left field. He found it in the 3rd inning.
I think the fans in Atlanta can now find a way to look past losing Freeman. I love Freddie and was hoping that he would remain a Brave for life but every team just has to find a way to pay the rest of the team. It is still a team game.
We got over losing Griffey
-seattle
This is right up there with the Ozzie and Acuna deals. And the braves have a strong core until 2030 now we need to extend Riley and Fried.
This is a fair contract that has some value. Not a steal of a discount.
What a great deal for Atlanta
Top shelf front office.
Paying a 6 WAR guy 21 mil a season. Not bad
He didn’t even get to 6 last year and never has before, pump the brakes on that. He’s a good player, but if you’re expecting him to outperform his best year so far, over the length of this contract, you might end up pretty disappointed.
So Freeman was looking for a 6 year contract from ATL and the Braves wouldn’t budge, This contract to Olsen is a massive kick in the balls to freeman
It’s doing the math (and the math only) on what they expect the balance of Freeman’s career will be as opposed to Olsen’s.
Freeman who is 5 years older amd wanting 30 mil a season as opposed to Olson getting 21 mil for 8 years
Freeman is a .300 hitter vs Olson .250.
Sure, forget Olson is 4.5 years younger, thus the longer extension. The point is to NOT pay premium money for a 1B at 35+, which is what they didn’t want to do with FF and what they’re not doing with Olson. They’ll pay premium for premium years, which is what they’re getting. Pay for the present/future, not the past.
@fisher40
Yes, and it’s a kick he deserves if it is correct he knocked back 5/135.
Baseball is a business…this reminds me a bit of the Yankees trading for Tino Martinez after Mattingly’s contract ran out–sending a message to Mattingly that his roster sport was gone.
Liberty Media decided there was more value in Olsen for the price than Freeman, and that’s likely a smart bet. It’s a very reasonably priced contract, and the only question is whether the price they paid in prospects plus the contract price makes sense. They thought it did, It’s hard to argue from a baseball perspective that Olsen won’t have a better remaining career than Freeman will. Sentiment means nothing…unless you are re-signing an older player on a low-cost deal to give him a last hurrah. But that’s not foundational.
AA doing it better than most if not all. Solid move. Olson is a beast
Clearly this was a coup for the Atlanta Braves. They already won the WS with Freeman and as a 32 year old he was asking for too much for too long. This move is what winning franchises do. They don’t get too attached to players as this is a business; the Braves are the epitome of talent finders and negotiators. As a Mets fan I applaud their front office and their culture of wise acquisitions and spending. Hope Sandy takes a lesson or two from the Braves front office.
Nice job Braves! Freeman…how much is enough? Greedy!!!
I was worried about the 2020 season with the .195 batting average. But that year he still hit 14 homers (37.8 in a full season). In addition that year he had a BABIP that was .229 versus .292 and 300 in 2018/19 and .269 in 2021. So with a higher, more average BABIP, he’s fine.
Also park factors between Oakland and Atlanta play a role. Oakland’s is .882 – so it surpresses hitters. Atlanta’s is 1.109 ,so it helps hitters.
So plenty of room for sustainability and or growth during prime years.
Losing Freeman hurts, but I like the numbers.
Next up… Greinke on a 1 year deal?
why so little?
Two of the years were arbitration years. It’s still low, but not as low as some seem to think.
I thought they way overpaid in terms of prospects, but I’m guessing that they had already shaken hands on his contract. Still a lot to pay, but the contract is pretty friendly.
Good contract for both sides, especially the braves. Much better value and less risk than paying Freeman.
I know Freddie Freeman was their guy but it’s worth mentioning that Olson did have more WAR than Freeman in 2021.
One year only. You also need to look at what he did in the postseason Refer to my message below.
Too many positive comments here. I’ll throw this out there… he was projected to make $12 mil this year and something like 18-19 mil next year via arbitration. Braves should have made the first two years of the contract close to that by spreading out the remaining cost on the back end OR simply having a contract roughly 5-6 mil less overall. Some of the shine on Olsen was he would be super cheap over the next couple years and although he’s cheaper than the AAV, he’s more expensive that what he was expected to make. I guess the hope is, long term, he will be well underpaid thus making the slight overpay today ease the take. I’m nitpicking here… I completely understand … just “being that guy” for the sake of throwing a different view out there.
But will he perform in the postseason like Freddie? With 12 teams it’s one thing to get there, but to win it all you need guys that aren’t spooked by the pressure. Plus, Freddie has had many years of great performance while Olson has had one. I like Olson – don’t get me wrong – just some questions to consider.
Hard to tell, which is why you build the best possible team either way.
Rosario and Soler went from trade line pick ups for basically nothing to Championship MVPs. Post Season is a different beast.
Wow!!!!!!! I’m truly impressed. Olson just needs to produce, so far in his career he has been ascending and the Braves gave him the Bag! All of Braves Country loved Freddie Freeman myself included but Braves are a mid-market team and seem to be priced out for him staying. I said it yesterday, I had to remind myself again that I care more about the name on the front of that Jersey above the tomahawk, and appreciate what the name on the back does to help them win ballgames. It’s still sad though, the Chippers,Jeters,Ripkens of the game are gone now it’s just part of the business.
Freddie should have taken the Braves deal, if he really wanted to stay in Atlanta… Braves GM WAS NOT COMFORTABLE with an aging player with that amount of money… Albert Puljos contract did not age well…EXCELLENT MOVE EXTENDING OLSON… CASHMAN TOO SMART-no way Freddie coming to the Bronx- looks like LALA land bound—
I wish people would stop using Pujols as a comp. There is almost zero doubt in my mind that Pujols is older than he’s listed. That changes the equation significantly in regards to Mr. Pujols.
@Appalachian_Outlaw Pujols is definitely in his late 40s. I just had this conversation the other day.
What about Tatis Jr.
That is the key with Olson, he improved across the board and had a Great 2021 season. But can he do it again? And again, and again? It’s what separates the good player and the great players. For the sake of the Braves I sure as hell hope so.
I don’t understand this. Yes, Olsen is younger. But the braves basically made a lateral move this year and for at least a couple more years while giving up really valuable prospects to do it. For what? $10m? I wouldn’t like this if I was a braves fan. The amazing Acuna/Albies contracts should be enough savings alone to round out any roster. And an aging first baseman in a league that now has a DH position isn’t really that big of a deal imo. Pay your franchise player, keep your best prospects (or flip them for other pieces) and be done with it.
For the next six years you will get Olson (ages 28-33) AND $8 million to spend on other positions instead of Freddie Freeman (ages 32-37) plus whatever the prospects turn into. If you do a spreadsheet using anticipated WAR, the equation favors the Olson even if one of the prospects turns into an average full-time major leaguer. It breaks my heart for Freddie to play somewhere else, but this deal makes the Braves better.
It’s only a lateral move if you think Freeman will hold up as a useful regular. I think it’s far more likely than with Olson that Freeman doesn’t. Olson has a very good chance of being better than Freeman, year by year, and of being significantly more valuable in 2025 and after.
How do the donations work in contracts? I’m all for giving back, I think it’s a great thing players do- but how does that exactly work?What if he were to say no to donating? Does Atlanta then pull the deal away or is something else worked out?
So can I blame losing Freddie on David Ortiz? I think his “Pay the man!” routine may have went to Freddie’s head lol.
I hope Freeman has to sign a 3 or 4 year deal. What a disloyal puke. Good for the Braves for holding the line with him.
I think this will hurt Freeman more than the Braves overall (not monetarily, of course). Freeman’s legacy as a lifetime Braves player would be much more valued, imo, especially as he declines.
But, no doubt in my mind he will get what he’s looking for and then some in the open market …. LAD getting their man!
A+
Remarkable. Alex Anthopoulis is extraordinarily good at this job.
Even if Olson merely reverts to his 2018-2020 form, he’s putting up 4.3 rWAR per 650 PA. He’s currently at the average peak age, 26-28, is reasonably durable, and just had his best season. He was born March 29, 1994, whereas Freeman was born September 12, 1989, and is 4-1/2 years older,
Olson’s making $132m for his age 30-35 seasons, versus Freeman looking to make perhaps $170m for his age 32-36 seasons. I’d rather have the former, though it will be interesting to see the Braves x years from now, when all of Olson, Acuna, and Albies are on the wrong side of 28, though they can even bail on Albies at 29 or 30, if they want.
Ohh how quickly they turn on you! Come on people dude is still a stud player. Unfortunately he won’t be a Brave but I won’t take away the years of production he provided for the team. Plus, no off field issues or drama. He will come back for Alumni stuff like all the other dudes. Let’s get behind this 2022 squad and Olson coming back his home state. We need this guy to produce and be steady in the middle of that lineup. I will never discount anything Freddie Freeman did for the Braves he was there through all those lean years and won a championship for the A.
The Yankees dropped the ball on Matt Olson. They could have done this exact same thing and Olson at Yankee Stad is a 50 HR per year guy. Yanks have lost their lustre. GREAT JOB BRAVES AND AA. Now Freddie to the M’s!!!
M’s…? Interesting. Maybe he’d value the opportunity to playing close to Canada and really see them on the upswing, but SD/LAD with SD needing to have the highest offer. To me, Preller really needs someone to stabilize his tenure and FF could be the perfect person and financial risk. TBH, in that ballpark FF’s going to be lead MLB in doubles, but will sacrifice some power. I’d imagine he’d be what you’d hope you were getting in Hosmer. Now, how much to do you package/pay someone for Hosmer?
My only thought is that atleast he is going to a team that appreciates him by extending him! Cheap A’s!
Sadly Olson was never getting anything close to this in Oakland. It would be funny, if even just for one season, if Freeman signed with the A’s (i know that will never happen because apparently the A’s plan on filling out the roster with Old Navy employees)…
How can Atlanta get so many guys so cheap Acuna, Albies and now Olson.
AA strikes again! I am sure this was a heart-wrenching deal to make but it was the right deal.
Best GM in MLB!
ps Good luck Freddie
What do you mean few teams that publicly discloses contract terms? We see the contract terms all the time from every player.
AA putting on a masterclass in Gm’ing.
ATL wasted no time lol.
Great move, you’ve committed the prospect capital why not cross the finish line and seal the deal for the hometown pretty boy? Now FF is crapping his pants for declining the Braves more generous offer. I could see this deal hurting FFs bottom line.
Baseball is full of heartbreaking trades and always will be. Time to move on.
As I posted yesterday, Olson deserves the fans’ support with a huge, sustained ovation when he walks into the batting box the first time. With the fans’ hearts behind him, Olson can get off to a hot, fast start which will cement his status in the ATL.
IMHO, Braves have the best overall infield, outfield, starters, bullpen in the game today. All they need is…wait a minute…
imagine a selling point and victory for the braves by saying he only turns 28 in a few weeks..
imagine the disappointment when a power hitting 250 hitter starts to turn into the bad chris davis. halfway through the contract. he shouldn’t crater immediately but it might not be that long,
he is switching leagues. so it would not be any surprise to see him hit 220’s > 240’s….but he has a good glove.
how is heyward working out for the cubs…..best baseball metric signing ever..lol
Dumb comparisons
Actually it’s a valid comparison. Take the same age seasons of Davis and Olson and compare stats tell us how we can interpret it any other way. Yes if Olson does well it won’t be valid but Olson only have 1 really great season, he isn’t consistent, either playing every day or at the plate, season in and season out.
I will be interested to see who the 3 hitter for the Braves is now, it certainly isn’t going to be Olson, and that was what was really good about Freddie, you could hit him 2 or 3. Acuna leads off(when he eventually returns), maybe Albies hits 3, but the Braves definitely need something at the top of that lineup for the first few months. Albies has to be 2 or 3 but who leads off. The top 1,2,3 is an interesting question, maybe Ozuna 3. Olson 4, Riley 5, Duvall 6
Rosario or Soler definitely make sense on this roster. I prefer another LH bat, but I love Soler too.
The Pirates are signing Freeman to a 10 year contract for hourly minimum wage, free life time bobble heads, and concession stand popcorn!
Hey, mattmooney33, All you can eat… popcorn, natchos, dogs / sour kraut… Coke… if you add that, I would do the deal…. SERIOUSLY, Dodgers know they don’t have that much competition, Freddie will not get that much more from Dodgers.. Braves offered 5yrs/ 135M—Dodgers will do 4yrs/ 130M…Should have stayed in Atlanta…
I wish you better luck than the Orioles had in trying to replace Freeman’s statistical close match – Eddie Murray – after the 1988 season. It probably kept them out of the playoffs in 1989, as well as probably competing for the division title in 1992 and 1993 if not winning it.
In ’89 Jim Traber (LOL!!!!!) was the replacement and he was supplanted by Randy Milligan, a decent hitter, but not the power hitter catalyst they tried to get when they picked up Keith Moreland, who was a detriment down the stretch. The 1989 Orioles make up those 2 games on the Jays with Murray, even with Murray’s 1989 numbers (20 HR playing home at Dodger Stadium).
In 1992, the Orioles had tried to replace Murray with Glenn Davis, who was a disaster. Oh, and they gave up Pete Harnisch, Curt Schilling, and Steve Finley to get him. Surely that all could have been the 7 game difference they had to the Jays. In 1993, they were 10 back. I stop the comparison there because in 1994 they picked up Palmeiro, so Murray would DH and his #’s were relatively similar to Harold Baines.