Watching Freddie Freeman’s introductory press conference as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers elicited many emotions from Braves country, likely including Freeman’s former teammate Chipper Jones.
Speaking to ESPN’s Buster Olney following an eventful week which ended with Matt Olson in Atlanta and Freeman headed out to LA to play first base for his hometown Dodgers, Jones expressed a sense of grief knowing that the face of the franchise and a close friend was no longer a Brave.
“I feel like I lost a family member,” Jones said to Olney. “I lost a little brother. And that hurts. I wish like anything that we could go back in time, just about a week, and have a do-over. Just for Freddie’s sake.”
The Hall of Fame third baseman reportedly spoke to Freeman the night he signed a 6-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers. Olney’s piece details Jones’ belief that Freeman truly did not want to leave Atlanta.
"From my conversations with Freddie," Jones said. "He wanted to stay. I'm just not so sure the way that he and his camp handled it was the way to make it happen.”
So, what happened? Freeman said Friday that he only heard from the Braves twice during free agency—once before and once after the lockout. Freeman rejected the Braves offer of a 5-year, $135 million deal back in November and his agents countered with two proposals, and according to Olney, a deadline.
"On Friday, March 11, there was a report that the Dodgers were making an intense push to sign Freeman. The next day, Close [one of Freeman's representatives] and Anthopoulos spoke, and, according to four sources, Close told Anthopoulos that the Braves had an hour to accept one of two proposals -- a six-year, $175 million deal, an average of a little more than $29 million a year, or a five-year, $165 million deal, an average of $33 million per season.
"Anthopoulos rejected both of Excel's proposals. The two sides agreed on only this: All offers and proposals were off the table. Both sides needed to prepare for an Atlanta squad without Freddie Freeman.”
While Jones told Olney that he believes the Braves would’ve gone up to $145-$150 million, he acknowledged that miscommunication played a role in the breakdown of negotiations between the two parties. Throughout the process, it was reported consistently that Freeman was seeking six years in a contract but the Braves wanted a five-year deal.
All this is not to say that Jones didn’t see the potential breakup coming. He detailed a conversation that he and Freeman had back in August, during which Jones told the free agent to be that he was playing a “dangerous game” by testing the waters of the open market and that Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos would not hesitate to call his bluff.
He did by acquiring Olson on Monday from the Oakland A’s and promptly offering the 27-year-old a new 8-year, $168 million contract. Anthopoulos was emotional in the hours after the move while speaking with reporters in Florida. Asked if he saw the comments, Freeman did not offer much of a reaction.
“I saw them. That’s all I’ll say,” the new Dodgers first baseman said.
Many Braves fans felt like Chipper when they realized that Freddie Freeman would no longer be playing first base in Atlanta, but Olson’s arrival certainly softened the blow as the Braves get set to defend their World Series title with the 2022 season now just weeks away.