Even though Freddie Freeman‘s bat remains as dangerous as ever, it isn’t surprising that the veteran is starting to consider the potential end of his career as he enters his age-36 season, and his 17th season as a Major League player. Freeman isn’t planning to hang up his cleats any time soon, as he told MLB.com’s Sonja Chen and other reporters that he would like to play four more seasons, and then retire at age 40 while still playing for the Dodgers.
Freeman still has two years remaining on the six-year, $162MM free agent deal he signed with the Dodgers during the 2021-22 offseason. His desire to play through his 40th birthday would therefore require another contract following his current deal, and the future Hall-of-Famer isn’t worried about his status with his local team.
“I love being here. I’m from Southern California,” Freeman said. “I’ve had a great time with fans. You guys treat me great. Everyone’s treating my family good….I’m not worried about another contract, not going to bring it up, not going to talk about it. I got two years left. I’m just an employee. I just do my job, and if they want me back, they want me back. But I think Andrew [president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman] and everyone knows that I love being here.”
Freeman only plays first base and Shohei Ohtani is locked into the Dodgers’ DH spot, so having both positions occupied for four more years might present some roster-building difficulties down the road. Besides that minor issue, it is hard to imagine the Dodgers wouldn’t have interest in continuing their relationship with Freeman if he stays healthy and keeps hitting anywhere close to his current pace.
Since arriving in L.A., Freeman has hit .310./391/.516 with 96 home runs, with a 149 wRC+ that ranks fifth among all players since the start of the 2022 season. He has been an All-Star in all four of his Dodgers seasons, and Freeman has a pair of top-four finishes in NL MVP voting. In the postseason, Freeman’s resume includes the 2024 World Series MVP trophy, and a pair of iconic walkoff homers — his grand slam to end Game 1 of the 2024 Series, and his solo shot to end the 18-inning marathon that was Game 3 of the 2025 Series.
The 2025 championship capped off another successful year for Freeman, who hit .295/.367/.502 with 24 homers over 627 plate appearances. Freeman posted these numbers despite playing on a surgically-repaired ankle that was “never really in a good spot” all year.
This offseason was normal from a health perspective, however, and Freeman is looking forward to an even more productive 2026, from both a hitting and defensive perspective. Freeman’s goal is to play in all 162 games, though he acknowledges that the team will give him some rest days to keep him fresh for the playoffs.
During his 11-plus seasons as the Dodgers’ PBO, Friedman has been proactive in extending and/or re-signing several cornerstone players (i.e. Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, Max Muncy, Will Smith), so a new deal for Freeman certainly seems plausible. This could take the form of an extension next year, or Freeman could even play out his current contract and enter free agency, still with the understanding that a new deal with the Dodgers would still happen once the team accesses other offseason business.
Hopefully his new agent is listening this time.
Freddie is wiser now. He’ll tell the agent what to do rather than vice versa.
Better late never, I guess. Good for Dodgers. (smh)
Let me go kick the side of a building. No offense, Matt.
Oh ‘miss me with that’ (whatever that means from youngins these days lol)…Freeman wanted to go to LA and blamed his agent to save face. Those crocodile tears were faker than crocodile tears. Love Freeman but he wanted to go to LA. No love lost from my end.
@braveshomer
Freddie will probably be crushed when he learns this.
The Barves didn’t offer him as much money and he got to play at home in a real city and has won 2 rings and counting.
The net value of the Braves offer was more than the dodgers. look it up
What net value? Because of playing more games in Florida or something? The Barves last reported offer was 5/140, which is less than 6/162. Even with deferral, MLBPA estimate of NPV was over 148m. Freeman proposed 165 or 175 and was turned down.
Freeman does better on endorsements and wins way more because he’s a Dodger, and he gets to play in a real city, not to mention his hometown.
“……….a real city.” Thanks for the fairy tale and the laugh Pinocchio. Do you go to bed every night believing you’ll wake up and be a real boy?
You sound like a broken record, typing the words real city over and over. Come up with some new material, will ya?
Who’s to say what will happen in four years but I’d be surprised if the Dodgers still had a spot for a 40 year old 1st baseman
Well that decision is 2 years away, not 4… but his age only matters if he starts to play like his age.
I wouldn’t be surprised, They like to re-up their vets.
Maybe Ohtani plays some outfield and Freddie can DH and pinch hit.
Shohei will play nothing other than DH while he is still pitching.
If he’s still playing decent defense and hitting them maybe. But gotta think he’d be slow as dirt by that last season. Maybe just bench/ph type guy by then
Even on a bad ankle, Freeman wasnt slow.
He will be at 40, dude.
“3000 hits”…Maybe. But Freddie’s a lock for the HOF. He’s an extremely well liked, elite hitter who checks all the boxes(career longevity, postseason production, awards, good citizenship etc..)for automatic HOF entry. It’s extremely hard to find anyone who has a negative word to say about FF, either on or off the field.
Ronald Acuña Jr. enters the chat…
I’m not sure 3000 hits matters that much anymore. It seems harder to get to those magic HOF numbers, like 3000 hits or strikeouts by a pitcher, anymore.
You’re right about the milestones. He’s an obvious Hall of Famer, 3,000 hits or not.
Yeah I don’t know about that. I lost a lot of respect for Freddie during his Dodgers press conference. The whining, throwing AA under the bus and blaming everyone but himself. I liked Freddie as a Braves fan but always felt he was a little “fake” and that just proved it to me. The other part I never liked is his attitude when he isn’t going well. I literally could turn on a Braves game
In the 7th inning and simply watch him on defense and tell you how he was doing offensively. If he is going well and a guy is on first he’s chatting with them, smiling, etc. If he’s having a bad game he has nothing to say to the guy on first and is pouting. Might tap their but with his glove but that’s about it. Great player but I think he gets more credit than he deserves for being a great guy, etc.
Awwwww
A great big frowny 🙁 face for you.
Im a Braves fan, but you’re just oozing SALT
@ Chipperchop
I’m a Nats fan, and even we love Freddy Freeman, even if we do affectionately refer to him as “FFF.” That’s some serious sour grapes from a Braves fan.
Hold on, retire with the Dodgers or retire AS a Dodger??
If he goes into the hall wearing a Dodger hat on his plaque after spending 12 years in Atlanta, he will be a hated man🤣
Ridiculous. He still gets big ovations when he plays in Atlanta.
Even though my comment was a joke my statement is not ridiculous because there will be people that will turn on him if he goes in wearing a dodger hat. Does he deserve to be turned on absolutely not!!
@Sky
What is ridiculous is not your comment but that there is any large number of people being down on Freddie for anything. A great person as well as a great ballplayer.
Oh I agree I think it’s absolutely ridiculous if anybody hates on Freddie. He’s a class guy. As a Braves fan I would love for him to have an Atlanta hat on but I can’t blame him if his hat is Dodger blue in the hall
“Great person”..Freddie F has long been one of my favorite players. But, let’s not kid ourselves into thinking we really know what kind of person he is in real life.
The power of sports(and television) can make the good seem bad and the bad seem good. Obviously I’m not suggesting that Freddy Freeman is a bad person, but the fact is none of us really knows him personally.
@mlb fan
I don’t know Freddie Freeman personally.
I made my comment based on the universally positive comments his Dodger teammates make about him, his extraordinarily generous charitable donations and the interactions I have seen of Freddie with his kids, admittedly on videos.
I am a Braves fan and I agree Atlanta fans will be angry if he goes into the hall as a Dodger. I think more likely he’s gonna be one of those blank hat like Maddux did.
I don’t dislike the man, but I do dislike the Dodgers so I will root for him when it doesn’t matter to the standings, Ohtani and Betts too. But if it does especially against my team I hope that he fails.
Get over it.
He spent the majority of his career in Atlanta (even if he plays in LA until he’s 40) plus won hos first championship and his MVP award there. My money would be on Freddie going in as a Brave.
He will have had more success in LA in less years. If he plays 2-4 more years in LA and wins even 1 more WS I think its pretty much a lock he’s going in as a Dodger. They have straight up treated him better than Atlanta ever did.
First of all my comment was a joke but Atlanta fans and the Atlanta community have treated him with so much respect. Him not resigning with Atlanta was the fault of his agent and himself not taking control of his free agency. However it worked out great for him playing in LA and it’s true he will have more success in LA than the 12 years in Atlanta.
@Nick: Not true. Atlanta treated him very well, until they didn’t.
Only World Series wins, not individually
Agreed that LA treated him better
They were willing to give him 5 years not 6. I think this is Freddie’s excuse because he wanted to go to LA.
ATL gave him an 8 year contract in 2014.
@Skyrider: No he won’t.
Skyrider, It’s not his decision. He can make a request for one or the other, which the Hall will seriously take into account. But the smart thing would be for him to let the Hall decide, relieving him of any responsibility for any fan’s ill feelings..
Interesting. I learned something. Thanks Jean.
Has the hall ever not followed a player’s wish? If he has a preference he should make it known.
One example: Gary Carter wanted a Mets hat. The Hall decided on an Expo hat.
Oh man Gary got robbed! That is terrible.
I’m willing to bet Freddie will want to go in with a blank cap and I’m willing to bet the HOF will let him. There’ll be a strong enough argument for both sides by the time he retires.
And, some players from multiple teams get blank hats on their plaque: Gregg Maddux, Roy Halladay for example.
I didn’t know that was an option either very interesting thank you.
Then why did Maddux go in the HOF with a blank cap? Atlanta years had to be the most career defining but he’s acting like the Dodgers one year means the same.
The Cubs.
Robbed? I think he should have gone in as an Expo.
Maddux should have had a Braves cap. Freddie will probably choose LA, and that sounds right to me.
Oh, Freddie is definitely going in either blank hat or as a Dodger.
He will most likely go into the Hall with the team where he won the most World Series.
He’ll have a weird hat that has an interlocking “L” with an ATL “A”, and be winking in his plaque photo.
He should get that easily
Getting paid in 2026 less than Rendon, Cease, Glasnow and less than half of Tucker.
For three WS, Freeman has an OPS of 0.973. He could quit tomorrow and make the HOF.
Definitely a shoe-in for the HoF – if Im the Dodgers, Freddie Freeman gets a 2 year / 20M extension to cap it off. Take it or leave it Freddie my boy!
Freeman would get more than $10 million per year if skubal is getting $32 million and verlander gets that much
True. Muncy just got a one year $10 million extension.
The second time I read his post I concluded he was saying 2 years for a total of $20 million like you did. The first time I had read it as two years at $20 million per year, for a total of $40 million, which would probably be about market for an aging but exceptional Freeman for 2028 and 2029.
Dodgers can lever him, might as well lever him. Id squeeze him for every dime.
Nothing is easy after 35 years old. He’ll need all 4 seasons to barely get it. He’ll undoubtedly get injured and his skills will regress but if he can stay healthy, he’ll get 3000.
Over 500 hits are not easy to get it the major leagues. That’s about 175 a year.
Buy a calculator!!
He needs 150 hits a year over 4 years to go well over 3000. Not 175 a year.
over 4 years he needs to verage 143 hits. he’s only missed that in 2 “full” seasons where he played 117 games in each. he has nver had that low a hit total in a full season, and has averaged 180 hits as a dodger.
4 years/$100M (a relative bargain at that point in the salary bloating) or maybe even 4 years/$138M, get back a little of the money he left on the table with that Dodgers contract and make it a clean 10 years/$300M and defer $100M of it to be paid out starting the year after he retired for an additional 5 years, effectively playing as a bargain priced $9.5M per year veteran.
Granted he already has like $57M deferred off that last deal, but whatever.
He’s earned it. He’s been that good, that consistent.
With the salary cap and no deferrals, that won’t happen. 😁
I’m confident that any deferrals already in place will be grandfathered in to whatever limits they try to put in place.
They are talking two years from now so grandfather would go over the rainbow by then as far as Freddie.
Varsho has gotta be out here staring blankly at a wall by now….
Guess he no longer misses the Braves?
He’s turned the page. I’m sure there’s a piece of him that regrets what happened, but his time in LA couldn’t have gone better.
Nah he doesn’t regret it. He tried to use the Braves as leverage for a better deal with the Dodgers, that is all. Doesn’t make him a bad guy, but a practical one.
He got a worse deal. He’s making less net money than he would have in Atlanta.
Sf
“Nah he doesn’t regret it.”
Why on Earth do people think they could know this?
That we know of. Yeah, he’d be able to keep more of his salary in Atlanta, but his local endorsements and investments there may not have been quite as lucrative as they probably are in LA. The salaries players earn from their teams is just the tip of the iceberg financially.
You literally have zero clue how much he’s making. I bet his endorsements took a huge bump being in a real market instead of Atlanta.
He will go into the HOF wearing a Braves hat.
He probably read the article about Colorado needing a 1B and is working up leverage to demand a trade there.
LOL!
No he wants to play for the White Sox. Everyone does!
Bro. lol
He should get to 3000 if he stays healthy enough. 33 HR per year to get to 500 probably doesn’t happen but would be cool.
He’s more of a 25 per year guy. He won’t make 500, but 450 is possible.
We just need a couple juiced ball years and he has a shot.
He’s such a stud. Out of the past 10 years the only time he hasn’t gotten MVP votes was a season that he played in 117 games and had a .989 OPS.
Easily one of the most likeable players in the game!
Yeah, 450 is more plausible. That’s 20.75 homeruns on average for the next 4 years. I think he’ll get that. He’ll do it in Atlanta in 2028. Off the chop house window in right field.
He’s not getting 3000 hits.
You’re all forgetting there won’t be a season in 2027. That’s a whole year he won’t get back.
Why assume the worst? I don’t think they’re ignorant enough to cause a major stoppage of play. They learned their lesson from 1994. A lot of owners have changed but I don’t think they’ll get to the point where they potentially cancel the season.
Some online platforms have included speculative bets, such as asking if the 2027 World Series will be canceled, with some early estimates showing a small, yet notable percentage chance (e.g., 5%).
Smart money is that there will be a 2027 season with more than 130 games.
Why assume the worst?
Why not? This is MLB, after all.
Age 36 season, At best he will get to 400 HR. His decline will show more and more. Dodgers would be foolish to renew his deal, and if they did they will do one year thanks for playing contract.
its a shame he has nice career .300 avg right now which I doubt he can keep that up.
Datashark—only you have some sense here
Is Freeman the one with the hot wife? If so, yeah extend him.
Matt Keough is that you coming back from the dead?
His swing will age better than others…kinda like a wicket swing in cricket. Maybe the wall power will diminish, but not so much on the gap drives
I think his bigger goal is 3000/400/700, which is very doable at his current pace. If he plays 4 more years, he needs to average 38.25 doubles, 142.25 hits and just 8.25 HR. More likely he does 3000/450/700. He would only be the second player to do that – after Stan Musial.
@n1120a
Not a chance. There won’t be a season in 2027.
Yeah there will
On a team with the best player in the sport, he’s their best pure hitter
True but if the DH wasn’t allowed…
Eff the dodgers. They deserve the worst luck they could possibly get.
I wouldn’t say that. Karma is a bi*ch.
You just broke Ronald Acuna’s hamate bone. Well done.
It’s a great fit of player and team.
I think the Dodgers aren’t afraid to help their stars age in place. The way they let Kershaw end his career was exactly what I want to see our teams do for our stars. I hope Freeman gets the same kind of opportunity as Mookie and Ohtani will.
Quite the trade rumor.
142.5 hits a year for the next 4 years gets him over the 3,000 hit line. That’s probably worth something to the Dodgers. Especially with if he gets the bulk of it next two years while under his current deal.
He’s gonna have a tough time getting that .5 of a hit.
I’d like to do that as well.
The next two seasons will tell if he plays two more years period, let alone two more with the Dodgers. Could always try to go back to Atlanta for the farewell tour if the Dodgers don’t re-sign him
I would sooner bet on the earth being hit by a comet. Doesn’t anyone actually listen to what the man says?
What he says today and what he thinks/says two years from now may be two different things
In other words, no.
@Rsox Oh boy. You’re fun at parties. Maybe he’ll retire wearing a Red Sox uni.
And Kershaw might pitch his last seasons in Texas. Because you never know. Except when you do.
YBC
“@Rsox Oh boy. You’re fun at parties. Maybe he’ll retire wearing a Red Sox uni.”
Based one what I know about your and Rsox, I’d rather talk to RSox than you.
I mean, first, imagine thinking that the MLBTR comments section is anything like a party. Yikes.
@JuanUribeJazzHands
Awww… shucks.
Depends upon how you define it.
Tons of tiny comet and asteroid debris (dust/sand-sized) burn up in the atmosphere daily, with roughly 17,000 small meteorites hitting the surface annually. Larger, potentially dangerous objects (100+ meters) that could cause regional damage strike roughly every 1,000 to 5,000 years. Major, life-threatening impacts occur only every few million to 100 million years.
Injury Volume: Over an 18-season study (1998-2015), there was an average of 464 player-disabled list (DL) assignments per year.
Injury Severity: A study of spine injuries in MLB found that roughly 3.5% of those specific injuries were career-ending.
Pitcher Injuries: Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) injuries, which can be career-threatening, have increased, with 25% of MLB pitchers having had reconstructive surgery.
High-Risk Injuries: In a study of collegiate players, 1.3% of injuries did not allow a return to the previous level of play.
“Love is blind, for all we know
For all we know, our love will grow”
That’s what the man said.
A nonzero chance he finishes his career somewhere other than LA. In other words, no chance whatsoever.
Opinion noted.
Atlanta is a possibility, if LA doesn’t re-sign him.
Did you hear what the man said?
I hope the sharp decline starts this season. Yeh I’m a Brewers fan
And a child.
“Freeman only plays first base and Shohei Ohtani is locked into the Dodgers’ DH spot, so having both positions occupied for four more years might present some roster-building difficulties down the road.”
This could be filed under “extremely desirable problems.”
To me, Mike Piazza will always be a Dodger. But he is in the HOF wearing a Mets cap. His choice I assume. Don’t know why that would anger any Dodgers fan. Freeman will finish with a very similar career profile. Long and illustrious terms with two excellent teams.
One big difference though. If the Dodgers pick up another series win or two they will go in the books as a dynasty. The HOF is about history. A dynasty makes for a great story.
The HOF choses the hat now.
Agreed. Making it more likely the HOF will go with the Dodger Dynasty narrative. “Is the Ohtani/Kershaw/Freddie/Mookie/Yamamoto era Dodgers team the best of all time or was it the _______ team?”
The HOF takes the player’s wishes into account and only makes the call if it is an obvious dispute or payment issue like Winfield.
I don’t care which cap he dons during his enshrinement. He’s one of the best for this generation.
Sign him to a 2 year extension RN and lower his aav.
There isn’t a doubt he makes the HOF, but does he go in a Dodger or Brave?
If he plays four more years as a Dodger and wins a couple more WS, then he goes in as a Dodger. if he plays four more years but they don’t win any more WS, then he goes in with a blank cap. I don’t see him wearing a Braves cap unless he returns to the Braves when his contract is up.
As long as he keeps producing in the postseason but he’s losing more and more power. Eventually he’s going to be James Loney 2.0
The numbers don’t bear this out. He’s never been a huge power hitter and his SLG last season was very close to his career numbers. He’s still an EBH machine. How long he can keep it up nobody can say, but for sure his effectiveness doesn’t depend on hitting a lot of homers.
He’s only topped 30 homers three times in his career. Swinging for the fences has never been his thing.
You’re right but he was also hitting well above .300 during those prime years. Once those homers drop below 20 and his BA drops to .270. It’s going to be hard justifying paying a pushing 40 year old 20 plus million a season, while contending for a world series. Especially when you have the money to upgrade.
First of all, it’s Freddie F’n Freeman! He’s worth it even if he tanks on the stat sheet. Second, $20M is what league average players are making on the free agent market these days. Baseball salaries are through the roof now and the Dodgers can easily absorb it anyway. Third, .260 and 20HRs from any player at 38-40 years old ain’t bad, but we don’t know if Freeman will fall off to that level or not. For all we know he could age like David Ortiz and go out on a high note.
His OPS and AVG literally went UP last year, and did so on a bad ankle. He’s fully healthy this year, so he could just as easily regress positively and be back over .900.
I didn’t realize he was 36 already. Time flies.
Right. And he’ll start to show it in a year or two, statistics show us. Most players really fall off at this age unless they’re Barry Bondsin it!
I think Freeman will either finish while still playing great baseball, or he’ll fall off the cliff completely and suddenly. There won’t be a gentle decline. Still, even if he retired today he’s a hall of famer.
A really good player! Father Time waits for no man’s baseball skills to stay as long as they want though. I’ve seen dozens of great players have their skills erode at 37-38 and they either get injured or they just all of a sudden lose 40 points on their batting avg because their bat speed slows just a touch. I think he’ll probably have one more solid year then hit .260/20/80 for a year or two. I’m sure they’ll try to sign him but his play at first will be the issue, because as we all know, DH is filled. I think he hit .278/21/95 this year
Try checking his stat line and also use ones that actually matter.
Freeman has such good bat-to-ball skills that he’ll draw his fair share of walks. All he needs to do is keep the line moving and not make outs to stay valuable in that lineup.
Free Dalton Rushing!
I didn’t see this mentioned (apologies if it was), but Freddie is only 261 games away from being the career leader in games played at 1B. He could blow that record up even if he only plays part-time at age 39 and 40.
Great catch! Freeman is currently 8th overall. But he takes the NL record in only 27 more games.
After that he is only behind players that had some games in the AL or the Players League.
1 Eddie Murray 2,413
2 Jake Beckley 2,383
3 Fred McGriff 2,239
4 Mickey Vernon 2,237
5 Todd Helton 2,178
6 Mark Grace 2,162
T-7 Freddie Freeman 2,152
T-7 Cap Anson 2,152
———-
Nice catch! I also think he’ll be the all-time leader when he’s done, and hopefully 3K+ hits.
Freeman 569 more hits to reach 3000 142.25 a year the next 4 years.
Machado 931 hits to reach 3000 and 131 homers short of 500. Manny has 8 years left on his deal. Needs to avg 116.4 hits a season for 3000 and 16.4 homers to reach 500 homers.
Trout 96 more homers to reach 500 homers. 6 years left on his deal needs 16 homers a year
Judge 132 homers short of 500. 7 years left on his deal needs to avg 18.9 homers a year. 33.2 to get to 600 homers.
So over the 3+ years we should see a number of milestones reached. Of course if the 2027 season is lost then all of this could be gone. Or at least becomes much harder.
Freeman being only the 5th to hit 700 doubles would be insane too.
They probably give him a one year at the end and another if he is productive or nearing a milestone, probably 15 million a year, and mostly deferred because at this point he doesn’t really need the money
If he’s still putting up an OPS of .850+, they absolutely will.
Yeah, MLB will base their lockout decision on how well Freddie Freeman is playing.
Ok.