Freddie Freeman’s 12-year run with Atlanta came to a close Monday afternoon, as the Braves acquired slugging first baseman Matt Olson from the Athletics. With the Yankees pessimistic on their chances of signing Freeman, here’s the latest…
- The Blue Jays have conveyed serious interest in Freeman, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network. On Friday Morosi suggested Freeman’s signing was imminent and said the Dodgers were making a strong push.
- The Rays and Jays “have remained aggressive” on Freeman, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman.
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter thread) notes that rival clubs perceive the Jays as a threat to utilize some of their available payroll space to make a splash on the offense. He also suggests the Yankees could make sense as a Freeman suitor, but notes that it’s unclear if ownership wants to take on a long-term deal when they’re hoping to work out a long-term extension with Aaron Judge at some point down the line.
Sign with Dodgers already, you don’t want to play in Canada. California taxes are bad but Canadian taxes are worse.
Just sign dude, quit screwing around.
Plot twist, Freddie retires
This just in…. Freddie Freeman…..signs a 15 year deal to play in, manage, commission, promote, market and take over, the Canadian Professional Slo-Pitch Federation. HEY, batter batter batter, HEY!
It’s kind of premature to say Freddie’s days in ATL came to a close before he signs somewhere else. I know it’s extremely unlikely but crazier things have happened.
True, but I imagine that AA would rather use the money to bolster the outfield and pitching depth. Acuña is probably out until May and who knows how healthy he’ll be.
Technically, Olson has experience in the OF so if that was actually the plan, the of is bolstered. He can’t be any worse than Ozuna or Soler out there.
Man, if they wanted to do that, just stick Riley out there and get a third baseman instead.
twitter.com/Ria_Martin/status/1503493166837686273?…
One must consider that the Braves current lineup would only feature one LH bat (Olson) with Albies as a switch. They could sign Rosario as another LH hitter who could start while Acuna is out, then platoon with Ozuna/Duvall. So why wouldn’t the Braves leave the offer on the table, sign Freddie as another big LH in the lineup and he and Olson take occasional days off from the field. Olson can play OF as well.. Wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. Then sign a 4th OF (or don’t as you have Heredia), sign Grienke and be done.
Agree on everything but Greinke. It really is just LA or ATL at this point.
Not for the Braves they haven’t
I mean, Maddux was on his way to sign with the Yankees when Turner got him to change his mind and come to Atlanta. So yeah, it’s happened for them before.
That’s not what happened with Maddux
Basically is what happened. msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/greg-maddux-recalls-how-c…
You obviously didn’t see Anthopolous’ interview on MLB Network. Freddie Freeman is leaving bro.
He probably is but this article is very poorly written as nothing is certain until he signs with someone else.
the angels are suspiciously quiet, and i don’t like that
Angels always a dark horse… wouldn’t shock me to see Arte throw a ton of money at Freeman, who grew up an Angels fan in OC. Then turnaround and trade Walsh for pitching.
You’re too confident in Arte. Arte loves him some home runs. Arte would trade Marsh for pitching and put Walsh back on the grass where he’s horrible.
Signing Freeman checks a lot of boxes for Arte:
Former MVP
Winner
Slugger
Destined to decline and be way overpaid
Position we don’t need
The Angels made a splash early with Thor, signed Iglesias, Lorenzen, resigned Suzki, and Trout and Rendon are healthy
Arte won’t have to give up Walsh if he takes on Bauer’s contract 🙂
Imagine if the Mets signed Freeman to be their first baseman, and have Alonso DH. Won’t happen, but I want to hear the disgust from Braves’ fans.
Or Davis DH and trade Alonso for crazy pitching
Hey wait………
Eh. We got our championship. You’re still looking for your next one.
Minority opinion
ATL got sick of waiting
NO! Freddie got sick of waiting on the Braves to give him a 6 year contract. It was never about money! Why can’t everyone see that? He wanted to stay in ATL. The DA owners wouldn’t give him 6 years! He earned that right to get that! The man is a future HOFer probably and the best 1B in MLB, and he weathered quite a few lean years in 2015-2017 in ATL when he could’ve left for more money and the Braves Owners pi$$ed on him. It was blatantly obvious that AA had nothing to do with it. He wanted them to give Freddie the 6 years as did Snitker and obviously so did his teammates! Shame on the Braves! They’ve lost a fan in me, and I hope they go 0-162!
Oh please. They didn’t give him six years, that’s all. They didn’t “pi$$” on him. That’s a ridiculous take. Owners have every right to value contract offers in their own way.
Just got a call from Freddie he is retiring and joining the PGA Tour
Go to Baltimore. They are up and coming
13Morgs13 — VERY slowly . . .
Only thing “up and coming” about Baltimore is crime 🙂
I’m still not sure if any team is going to give him 6 years, especially with Atlanta out of the running. 5/$150 seems much more realistic with maybe a 6th year option.
FF played for Canada… his mom is from Canada… I hate to see it but I would prefer him going to Blue Jays over Yankees or Dodgers
Both his parents are from Ontario.
His mom (maybe his dad) is from Canada, but he played for team USA
2017 he played with Canada
He played for team canada at the WBC in 2017
Angels or back to Atlanta. Remember this comment
I’ve already forgotten it.
Back to Atlanta? Not worth remembering.
Brewers could use a 1B that can actually hit. they haven’t had one since Cecil Cooper.
Richie Sexson is somewhere reading this as a tear rolls down his cheek
Did Prince Fielder just fail to exist? You realize he’s the only brewer to ever hit 50 HRs in a season right?
Freddie Freeman is all about his family and winning. Knowing that, it is clear where he will sign.
So he’s going back to Atlanta then?
Baltimore Orioles?
Lmao
Tim, this post kinda hurts after all these years together… I know you like rumors and advertisements are okay if the right company host the ads and they don’t flash up unsuitable content for the rumors crowd, but this is like salt in the wounds and goes beyond you spreading rumors! It’s not okay, Tim. I thought WE meant more to YOU.
I can’t let my friends get in the way of what my girl, the Braves, and me have together, man. You have to go!
I know the Mets roster is full, but the most Cohen thing ever would be to swoop in on Freeman, move Alonso to DH. Package Smith in a trade.
Totally unrelated but you have an awesome username.
It’s not over yet, Olson can play 1st, Freeman 3rd, Riley LF, that simple.
Freddie can’t play 3rd. If anything, Olson moves to OF because he has played out there in the past.
You want 2 of the most important guys playing out of position?
Freeman at third… funny one
FormerlyCubsWin108 — I’m hoping this was a gauge of your sense of humor.
No, it’s over, they’re not moving Freeman to third. it was a fun experiment when they had Matt Adams, but it wouldn’t work for a full season.
You obviously didn’t watch Anyhopolous’ interview in MLB Network where he broke down almost in tears – “this is the hardest decision I’ve had to make in my 4-5 years here”. He’s gone bro.
If he is in fact going somewhere else I’m disappointed, but, life moves on for all of us and he didn’t really want to be a Brave for life like he said.
Which is fine, he’s earned the right to choose.
Rays offering Freeman $10 an hour…Rays need to move the hell aside with their penny pinching ways and let the big dogs take care of this one. Like the Blue Jays and Dodgers.
Everyone knows the Rays would have to get super creative to be able to sign Freeman. Everyone also knows that they’d be looking to move that contract before the ink dries, so no he’s not going to Tampa.
The Rays trying to sign Freeman.
In other fantasy news, I’ve asked Gal Gadot to marry me.
I’ll be your best man if she accepts.
@Joe says … — But now you’ve emboldened me. I’m gonna ask Olivia Munn to hang with me. If I get rebuffed, maybe Shalom Brune-Franklin.
Yup.
Once you get that MLBTR membership fellas, your love life improves significantly. Proof is right here.
Go get it Pete!!
Atta boy. We can’t wait to meet her.
@Joe says… and when you get tired of her please just let us know.
She seems pretty high maintenance. I give it a month or so until Joe gets sick of her & gives her the boot. Check back mid April.
I wouldn’t mind the opportunity to maintain her.
Don’t ruin my image of you, Joe.
I’ve been doing this for a while. Where his hometown or wifes family lives or parents are from doesn’t matter. They almost always go where they can make the most money.
Most money or most buying power? Isn’t LA like 60 percent more expensive of a place than Atlanta?
A mansion in ATL would get you a bungalow in east LA.
There are examples of geography being the most important factor. Alex Hinshaw, in his player chat, talked about how he instructed his agent to collect offers for review. That is, unless one was from the Padres, which he would take regardless of any other offers. He said the salary didn’t matter, he just wanted to play in his hometown.
Astros: Gurriel back to 3rd, Bregman back to SS, Freeman at 1st. Yeah, no chance, but it’d be cheaper than Correa, and a fun lineup to watch.
This is madness and everyone is falling for clickbait… It’s all rumors!
(I will take chili and cheese French fries with my Freddie Freeman drama. Actually, popcorn and a Varsity style orange sherbet shake, too, please.)
Madness – I tell you!
hate to say it but he’s going to the Dodgers
AA is the greatest GM ever. This is a genius move, but it absolutely stinks for fans.
It’s only a genius move if he signs a long term extension for less than what Freeman makes.
Or the Blue Jays could trade Reese McGuire and cash considerations to the Reds for Joey Votto, Hunter Greene, and Nick Lodolo. The Reds would have great interest.
I know, the idea that such an immensely popular player as Freeman leaving, hurts Braves fans. But false hope is useless. Freeman staying in Atlanta ain’t happening. Time to accept reality and get over it.
FF is done in Atlanta. Dodger blue uniform fitting on Thursday?
Rays sales pitch:
“Come play at our dump of a ballpark in front of less than 10k people each night and then watch everyone get traded away in a few years time. As a bonus…we at the prestigious Rays franchise will also let you name one of the cownose rays in our 10,000 gallon tank beyond the right-center field fence.”
You might wanna hide. All 3 Rays fans might form an angry “mob.”
Lmao
Covid-19 has more “fans” than the Rays.
Cope harder
Don’t be mad at me because I speak the truth about Slopicana Field attracting happy hour at Applebee’s sized crowds.
The Rays? haha
I’m gonna blindly hold hope that with the universal DH, the Braves still make a move for freeman and just have 2 guys that can play first. Or maybe Olsen is athletic enough to play some outfield and Ozuna can DH. Wishful, crazy thinking (I know). But hope is what us georgia based sports fans are conditioned to have. I’ll keep holding on in this situation lol
You’re letting emotion cloud your judgment. Teams just aren’t going to spend a lot of money on a guy like Freeman, with the result of having 2 guys that are limited to 1B/DH. Most teams aren’t going to go with a dedicated DH, and that’s virtually what you get with Olson/Freeman. The flexibility of having guys be able to play other positions besides DH is valuable. That money is better spent elsewhere.
Olson has played 17 career games in the OF so it’s not like he doesn’t have the ability to do it.
Watch Anthopolous’ interview. Freeman is gone bro.
Rays actually have a ton of flexibility in their budget and would likely offer a lower AAV but would definitely give him the years. Plus Florida is a tax haven. I don’t think it is likely but at the same time I wouldn’t say it’s totally ridiculous either. The fact they are still aggressive means he is listening to something they have to say.
Rays may be putting all the chips in the table all in. Franco , Freddie, and the rest of the lefty/ righty platoon position players. Rays are in it every year… Crazy stuff is happening… You never know, Rays have few commitments going forward…
Who knows the in’s and out’s at this point. Olson is on the Braves. 12 years is a long time but in this day and age guys don’t stick around. I said in another post, he was clearly angry about not getting a deal done prior to the 2021 season. I get on the ownership side with COVID and all about revenue and all that. I think back on Chipper like 94/95 ish when he said he would restructure to keep other players “ Andruw Jones”. In the end Chipper wanted to be a Brave and even said he left money on the table to do so.
Hey, Braves made a 5 year offer, he should have taken it. I don’t know if he’s going to get more… from the Dodgers or whomever. Olson’s shelve life is longer, 2 years younger… Not batting average, but power #’s are excellent for Olson… Even the draft picks are ok to trade… GM Alex is Savvy enough to overcome it…
Everybody wants him for 30 million a year through his 38th bday… cmon guys really? You think that’s smart?
That’s why you front load the contract and get your money’s worth
Philly dark horse?
Angels as the dark horse team, they love position players more than pitching.
I like Freeman. I like the Jays squad. Freddie should sign in LA.
Come on Yankees unleash the hounds old school style for freeman. Enough holding back !
The tax benefits to Florida would be appealing. The Rays are not a joke of a team at this point- they could potentially contend. They don’t have the illustrious cache of the Dodgers or the Yankees or Atlanta, but they’re not a joke, either. Would they really dig that deep and pay one guy $27-33M a season? They could argue that the tax situation in Florida is such that $200M in California is like $175M in Florida and they’d be willing to meet him at the pre-tax equivalent to get him to his goal money if Atlanta or the Dodgers had ponied up to his demands…. at this point Freeman may just be going after as much money as possible for his final career contract and be irritated with himself for the tens of millions he gave up to sign that initial eight year extension with Atlanta and he wants his money, one way or another…so if Tampa offered him a deal that got him to that point financially, he might just take the money…. Unless the Dodgers topped it in line with his tax burden in California…
All this goes ditto for Toronto or even the Yankees…. pay him whatever he expected to make playing and living in Atlanta on a $200M deal in accordance with your state/country’s tax burden and I think Freddie will sign with you.
Imagine the rays sign him lmfao jays or dodgers
Has the be the 2 teams its coming down too
So what if it’s not over yet? What if AA scooped Olson to prevent his asking price from going up if Freddie signed Else first? Sounds crazy but it’s possible. You could put Olson @ 1B, LF, or DH depending on the day. Keeping Freddie & Olson would help balance the lefty vs. righty aspect of the lineup. There’s also a possibility of signing Freddie & trading Olson to one of his original suitors. All snowballs in hell here but here’s to hope…
Jeez I’m tired of writing it. Watch Anthopolous’ interview. Freeman is gone give it up.
Maybe AA was doing his best dramatic Hollywood acting to throw everyone off the trail lol.
Freeman to Seattle. If Toronto gets him, they become the LA Dodgers of the American League. Jays don’t need more hitting jeez.
Jays should try to pry Votto to DH. Reds would probably take a player to be named, just to move the remaining contract.
Votto already said he’s not waiving his no trade clause. He’s stuck in Cincinnati for the rest of his career.
He might change his tune if they trade everyone around him.
Freddie is a perfect fit for the Jays batting lineup. It’s the sharing of 1B and DH with Vlad is the tough part but I’m sure guys will be more flexible just to have him on board.
PS: Canada’s greatest band is Rush. Love them or hate them, they are mega talented musicians. Check out Neil Peart on YouTube under the greatest drum solo ever. You’ll be glad you did.
I would love Freeman but I just don’t see it. I think this is one of the times the agent is potentially leaking news to make it seem like there is more interest than there really is.
I cannot see the Jays asking Vlad to go back to 3rd or becoming a DH. Think it’s much to do about nada, I just hope the Red Sox or Yanks don’t land him
FF is a perfect fit for yanks… a better 1b than Rizz but not sure if 200 mill would be smart. But was it smart to bring Tex and cc and aj in same year?? It won us a WS and that’s what the Yanks are missing
My bet is that he signs with Pittsburgh for 1.4 million a year.
Come to the Mets, we’ll put Alonso in RF, screw Canha
Freddie… Go where you have a chance to win multiple rings….Go to LALA land, Dodgers…. Clayton, Mookie… great teammates…GO home! ….
Vladdy has his position as 3B on Instagram.
@Brave lil toaster, ever the optimist and my heart wants Freeman in a Braves jersey. That lineup would be insane. Watching that video with AA however, I think Freddie is gone.
You’re likely correct… Watching Snit find out in the middle of a live interview (he looked pissed) & then AA responding the way he did…Not looking good.
Carlos Baerga is calling Freeman to the Jays on instagram. He called Semien to the Jays last year, FWIW.
Not a Blue Jays fan, but through the grapevine have heard they are throwing in lifetime front row seats for all Loverboy concerts in all US cities….and Loverboy will redo their schedule to follow the Toronto MLB schedule….
And as an added bonus, Loverboy will play all Freeman family functions in the offseason. So the deal is all but imminent…
Caveat: not all concerts will be at huge venues or stadiums, but appetizers are free as well…
His family would be lovin’ every minute of it!
Does anyone really think any team would move a young phenom to DH?
Vlad may have been OK moving to first, he’s not going to be OK being a DH. These players are not baseball cards. This isn’t fantasy baseball. Teams are dealing with people.
This is a rumor started by the agent. The Blue Jays would be fools to do that to Vlad.
There is no reason to say his tenure with the Braves is over until he signs elsewhere. This is irresponsible.
I’m holding out hope until I finally read that he’s signed somewhere else.
Freeman is not going to sign back with Atlanta to DH.
Olson is the much better defender. No knock on Freeman, but Olson is elite, even among the elite.
Could Olson play 3rd though? Riley can play 3rd or LF. If Olson plays either LF or 3rd I could see a world where it could work out. Rotating DH between Ozuna, Freddie, & Olson to keep them all fresh.
if I’m Freeman, I’m firing my agent
This is not his agent’s fault. Freddie has been steadfast in looking for 6 years at top money ($30M+ per year). He was given some very fair offers but he turned them down. He’s now in a spot that he’s probably only going to get 5 years guaranteed…not his agent’s fault at all.
It is his fault. Freeman should have had a deal by now, even if it wasn’t with the Braves.
Olsen was probably about to be traded elsewhere, so AA had to choices, trade for Olsen or risk missing out on Freeman and Olsen.
His agent should have been aggressively trying to find him a deal, sounds like he was waiting for the Braves to bid against themselves, and played chicken with the wrong GM.
If you read the headline, it’s another rumor, not a done deal. Don’t jump to conclusions.
Yankees are a 5 Billion dollar franchise. Get it together. Cheap f$&ks
Same or more the Jays lol
Said it earlier shameful, Chipper passed the torch to Freddie as leader of the Braves. He should have been a Brave for life. If ever there is a glimmer of hope and AA could reasonably get him he still should.
Freeman to the Orioles. Make it happen.
Matt Olson is now a Brave, says Jeff Passan.
He was offered a good contract. He already made $135 million on the last one. That’s almost $300 million. I don’t understand the 6 year sticking point. He wasn’t obligated to sign with us. It works both ways. I’m glad AA didn’t wait any longer and miss out on Olsen.
It still hurts to get fleeced by the A’s. Losing Freeman is bad enough, but also Langeliers is like salt on an open wound.
Olson needs a fast, hot start in the ATL to win the fans’ hearts.
This move has the potential to keep the Braves in World Series contention for years to come. That has to be what the front office was looking at.
Everybody talks about how Freddie was the leader of the Braves, but think about it this way:
Shortstop Dansby Swanson grew up a local Braves fan. Undoubtedly Olson did too. Now you have two top-tier players whose first love is the Braves. Got to be a plus positive for ATL!
Both have contracts expiring very soon also. The prospects, losing Freddie, & potentially not being able to extend Olson makes this very difficult to stomach. The clubhouse mojo takes a big hit too. None of the players or staff on field level wanted Freddie to leave. Friggin’ humbug…
You’d think the two Texas teams would have an interest in Freeman, or Milwaukee…
Carlos Baerga tweeted that FF would sign with the Jays either tonight or tomorrow . Gurriel Jr put up a “shhh ” emoji and Vlad Jr liked the tweet. Vlad was making throws from 3rd first day of camp…
Better than LA or NYY… I guess I could pull for Toronto in the AL…
Dodgers have a short term offer in $45-50 million.
All three ALE teams are back in with the cancellation prize being Rizzo. San Diego looking to package out Hosmer.
Bryant in LA when dust settles.
Freeman to the Nats! Heard it here first.
Gross
I am not a Braves fan or one that “can’t move on”, but …
With the DH, Freeman could still sign with Atlanta or play the occasional 3B when another player DH’s.
You don’t trade 4 of your top 13 prospects include 3 top 100’s in baseball unless your replacing freeman that would be dumb.
Are you sure?
Freeman is gone from Atlanta.
Braves just traded for Matt Olson
The Braves fans were sure Freeman would stay with the Braves. The Braves fans are in denial that Freeman is gone.
Correct
George would’ve had Freeman locked up already
sox. That has nothing to do with modern times.
Canada music!!!!! Oh myyyy…..the Guess Who!!!!……Bachman Turner Overdrive!!! …..Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush!!!!….and….lots of American members, but had some from Canada, were formed in Toronto….Steppenwolf!!!
I love how people stretch as far as they can to show where Freddie should be! His parents are Canadian so the Jays. He’s from California so the Dodgers. No taxes so the Rays!!! Keep grasping for straws lol. He will go where the money is at this point. Clearly if it wasn’t about money he would’ve gone back to Atlanta. So it’s just money talks at this point.
Tampa Bay Rays are going to sign this guy.
Freddie’ didn’t want to leave. Not for a year’s worth of salary, after his kid has grown up in Atlanta and they have so many friends .there. His agency misread the market and forced Alex to make a pre-emptive strike. If the Dodgers got to Olson first, then Freeman’s people would have held Alex ho$tage.
Let’s face it, if Freddie wanted to stay, he would have.. With what he’s made, and what they were offering, Atlanta would have paid over 300 million in his career. Charlie’s grandkids would be fine with that. I believe the agents were going for top dollar but Alex acted quickly and now they have no leverage with either TOR or LAD.
Let’s see how this works out for the Freeman family — unless he calls Alex himself and says he’ll stay for 4yrs/120 million as 1B/DH. Alex will say yes, because they need lefty bats.
I could only read about half of the comments.
I’m a huge jays fan… and Freeman makes no sense, yet here the Jays are this late in the rumor game.
If Freeman were to sign with the Jays there would have to be a slew of moves (or one huge one) giving the man a place to play. guerrero is heavy negative dWAR if he plays 3b this year and is becoming gold glove caliber at 1b.
So… what? He DH’s with Guerrero and some others swapped through the season? The Jays were in 300MM territory with Seager before he signed… this is clearly a front office that means freaking business.
Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro (AA was just a sugar rush) have taken so much heat from the casual (read: idiotic) jays fan and i think they have turned toronto into a damn powerhouse NYY is jealous of, luxury tax bois. I want to give them utmost props for committing when they said they would and making this jays fan who not long ago was still shaking his head at the BJ Ryan deal feel like he’s watching a world series team spare no expense.
We don’t even have room for Freddie. Bow to the new kings of baseball management.
Now to sign Jose Ramirez.
haha to trade for* i obviously mean.
I figured this would happen. Always had doubts the Braves wanted to go in the 6/180 neighborhood. And while the Dodgers have absolutely spent under Friedman, they’ve avoided those long-term deals that pays players high salaries towards their mid-to-late 30’s (save for Mookie). I mean, they’ve let Grienke, Machado, Scherzer, and Seager all walk under Friedman and didn’t put a bid out on Harper when he was a free agent, so I always wondered if they’d actually give Freddie whatever he wants. Now, if he took a Bauer-type deal, sure. They’d do that.
Just funny how all of a sudden, here come all these other teams just when it seemed the Dodgers were the only landing spot. AA called the bluff.
Lmfao watch Arte swoop in out of nowhere like he did Rendon and Pujols and sign Freeman for 6-7 years just to stick it to the Dodgers. Seems like the bonehead play right up his alley, instead of signing quality pitching.
Dodgers are working on the Bauer mess once it’s straight they can sign Freddie. FF is working out and he will be ready opening day.