There has been a growing sentiment that the future of Freddie Freeman likely ends with him playing somewhere else as opposed to returning to Atlanta.
If the All-Star first baseman does leave Atlanta, he leaves the Braves organization with quite a few questions, both on the field, like how to replace Freddie, but also about the direction of the franchise overall.
"I think the team becomes a little bit different, the focus becomes different if Freddie's gone, even if you replace the production," explains John Fricke. "With Morton healthy and the potential of Soroka healthy, it becomes a team focused on its rotation and less on its lineup."
One could certainly argue that the return of Ronald Acuña Jr. would make up for and even add to the production that Freeman provided. But to what extent is Freeman's value not only about the production, but also his leadership?
The Braves could make a high-profile trade for a guy like Oakland 1B Matt Olson to cover up the on-field loss of Freeman. But they also could rely on their rotation being better than ever if Morton and Soroka return healthy and add to an already strong combo of Max Fried and Ian Anderson.
It's a question that nobody wants to find an answer to, the hope is than whenever MLB ends their work stoppage Freeman gets an offer he agrees to and returns to the Braves lineup.
