What roller coaster this MLB off season has been since the Atlanta Braves won the 2021 World Series. All the fans knew that Freeman would enter the season as a free agent, what we didn't know was that a lock out was on the horizon. This caused zero negotiations through the winter causing many fans to panic at the thought the long tenured first baseman wouldn't return for the 2022 season.
During the off season there was chatter that Freddie wasn't going to re-sign. Multiple team names started to enter the conversation of different suitors for the first baseman. Could Freeman really go to the rival Dodgers? While I hate to think about it, he is from California and I could see him going "home". After all, he's spent the whole off season there...could that have effected his decision?
Could Freddie end up in Yankee pinstripes? New York loves to spend and could possibly compete with the amount of money LA could offer. While I'm not a fan of the Yankees, I'd rather see him go to NY than LA any day of the week.
Then today happened. I was on my way out the door to head to Home Depot to look at carpet with my wife and I saw the news on Twitter...the Braves had traded a plethora of young prospects for the A's Matt Olson. I had heard earlier that this was plan B. Plan A of course was to re-sign Freeman, but if that didn't work plan B was to bring in a younger, less expensive slugger. The tweet mentioned Cristian Pache, Sean Langeliers and two other pitchers were headed to Oakland for Olson. Braves nation was divided.
Where do I fall? While I don't want to sound like a bad fan, I'm actually OK with the trade. Yes, I hate to see Freddie go for a lot of reasons. Let's be honest though, the days where players play their whole career for one team are long gone. The fact that Chipper Jones and Derek Jeter did it still amazes me. I've heard that Freddie wanted to stay in Atlanta. I've also heard he really wanted to go home. I'm sure money was part of the equation, we're talking professional sports after all. I've heard and read a lot of comments/tweets today where fans were bashing the front office for letting Freeman go. I think after winning the World Series Freddie's price went up and essentially he priced himself out of Atlanta. Had the Braves lost the World Series I think he would have stayed and the Braves would've re-signed him. This is a business though and the decision to not bring him back is just that...business. However I don't really care who's "at fault" here. I'm going to miss him...but I'm also looking forward to seeing what Olson can do. I already saw a tweet today that effectively said Braves country will be OK after the first time Olson launches a homer across the Chop House...and they are probably right. Players change teams. It's a part of modern day sports. Wherever Freddie lands, I wish him the best.
How does this move effect my collecting? Not much. I'll still collect Freeman...even if he's in Dodger blue *shudders* or Yankee pinstripes. Heck, I'm already looking at some of Olson's 2017 cards on eBay...which is a mistake because the prices are ridiculous. There will be plenty of 2022 cards coming out w/ Freddie in a Braves uniform and I'll try to gobble up as many as I can...but I don't plan stopping just because he'll (eventually) have another logo on his chest. I still collect Dale Murphy, David Justice, and Jeff Francouer...regardless of the team.
Thank you Freddie for everything. It was a blast having you anchor the line up as well as first base for all of these years. We'll miss your hugs as much as your bat and that stretch at first. We'll miss seeing Charlie on television broadcasts and during the All-Star festivities. Best of luck wherever you go...just not against the Braves!
