Even now, nearly three months after the Braves failed to make an offer good enough to re-sign Freddie Freeman before the MLB lockout started, it’s hard to imagine Atlanta’s franchise icon playing in a different uniform.
But the truth is, that very well could happen. Here’s a note from Buster Olney’s story on ESPN earlier this week:
There is a growing belief that Freeman will land somewhere outside of Atlanta because of the standoff in his negotiations. The Braves offered $135 million over five years, sources say, and Freeman is looking for a six-year deal.
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Olney believes the Freeman situation will be resolved quickly. Either he’ll sign right away, or the Braves will make a deal right away to fill his production (trading for Matt Olson would ease the sting). Or both could happen quickly.
If Freeman does leave, where could he wind up? Let’s take a look at six possibilities.
Yankees
This is almost certainly the most obvious fit. Yes, they have Luke Voit to play first base, but is he part of their long-term plans? Didn’t seem like it at times last season, even though Voit was injured much of the year. The club has shown interest in bringing back Anthony Rizzo, last July’s trade-deadline acquisition, but Freeman is a much better hitter than Rizzo at this point in their careers. The idea of Freeman smacking the ball over Yankee Stadium’s short wall in right field has to be appealing, to the player and to the team. And with the DH now in the NL, that’s more potential teams that could be interested in trading for Voit.
Dodgers
OK, maybe this is the most obvious fit. The Dodgers need to replace Corey Seager’s considerable left-handed bat in the lineup, and Freeman bats left-handed. And with the DH now in the NL, Max Muncy could take most of his ABs there. Even though he’s worked hard to become a decent first baseman, he’s probably better suited as a DH who can also play first or second from time to time, with occasional fill-ins at third or right field. Signing Freeman would go a long way toward easing the sting of losing Seager, who was the series MVP for both the 2020 NLCS and 2020 World Series. He’s in Texas now, and it’s not impossible that Clayton Kershaw — the future Hall of Famer who is from the Lone Star State — could possibly leave, too, joining Max Scherzer (who signed with the Mets).
Giants
Here’s where we really start to factor the DH into the equation. Brandon Belt was better than ever at the plate in 2021, with his career-high 29 homers in only 97 games. It’s the 97 games that’s the troubling part. He accepted the team’s qualifying offer, so he’s back for 2022, but who knows after that? Bringing in Freeman to play first would, at least in theory, help keep Belt healthy and in the lineup. Freeman doesn’t make as much sense as Kris Bryant — he’s more versatile, position-wise — but the Giants have to do something to make up for after losing Buster Posey to retirement, and they have money to spend.
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White Sox
Jose Abreu is the first baseman, of course, but his deal’s up after the 2022 season, and he just turned 35 last month. It’s likely the Sox would want to keep him around after that, but maybe as the DH down the road, with the younger Freeman at first place. Having a guy who just won the World Series join a team with enough talent to win a World Series seems like a solid idea, but will they spend the money necessary?
Mariners
That playoff drought is taking on a life of its own at this point, eh? The Mariners haven’t made MLB’s postseason since 2001, though they have won at least 88 games — more than enough to get in some years — five times in that stretch, including 90 last season. Plugging Freeman in at first base would replace Kyle Seager’s power with a more consistent bat and add plenty of points to the team’s on-base percentage. Freeman might not be the solution to Seattle’s biggest needs, but that bat would be a huge addition for the M’s lineup.
Red Sox
I mean, they tried Kyle Schwarber at first base for a time last season, and his lack of experience was obvious out there (though, bless his heart, he gave it his best). Bobby Dalbec was solid down the stretch as a rookie (1.110 OPS his last 42 games) and J.D. Martinez is set as the DH, but his deal’s up after the 2022 season. If the Red Sox were to sign Freeman, it would be as much for 2023-26 as it is for 2022, though adding his bat and experience would obviously be good for 2022, though it would make for some playing-time issues that would need to be resolved.
