Over time, it looks as if the Braves and Freddie Freeman could be headed for a split.
After leading Atlanta’s first major man to its first world title since 1995, a new decade has grown from an inevitable to a question mark. That sentiment only rose on Wednesday with ESPN’s Buster Olney mentioned ‘Growing belief’ that Freeman will end up outside Atlanta.
“I suspect [the Braves] “He will move quickly to settle on an alternative and move forward to move past the conversation,” said one Oleni executive.
With the free agency currently on hold due to shutdowns, we’ll have to wait and see what happens, but the two sides are said to be separated along the contract, with Freeman seeking six years and the Braves reportedly offering five for $135 million.
“I haven’t spoken to Freddy in some time, but I’m sure he might be a little frustrated because this didn’t happen at spring training last year,” He said last week in 92.9 the game. “But the fact of the matter is we don’t have any fans in the stands. We have owners who don’t know where the revenue will be at the end of the year and maybe hold out a little bit. Bottom line, I think Freddy before everything is said and done will be playing where he wants to play.
“I know he’s a West Coast guy. I know he has a house here in Atlanta. But Freddy, if he wanted to play for the Atlanta Braves, he’d play with the Atlanta Braves. I’ll leave it at that.”
The Yankees are among the teams that could benefit from Freeman if he leaves Atlanta.
Having spent his career with the Braves and finally winning the title in 2021, such an outcome seemed unlikely until recently. With the baseball season still frozen, the decision will only come in time.