As unthinkable as it once seemed, Freddie Freeman will not spend his entire career with the Atlanta Braves, with the former National League MVP instead reaching a six-year/$162 million deal to join the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday evening.
In recent days, it had become clear that Freeman was going to leave the Braves, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2007 MLB Draft and that he had spent the first 12 seasons of his career with. Not only had the Braves acquired All-Star first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics, but they had given him an eight-year/$168 million deal on his way in the door.
Audacy MLB Insider Jon Heyman says that the best offer the Braves made to Freeman before pivoting to Olson was for $140 million over five seasons. Ultimately, the Braves' unwillingness to guarantee a sixth year to Freeman -- who is 32 -- is what drove the two sides apart.
Interestingly, the Tampa Bay Rays seemingly made a more competitive offer than the Braves, with Heyman saying that Erik Neander and company offered the five-time All-Star a sixth year, but with a total value of $150 million, meaning the average annual value of the deal was "only" $25 million.
It's unclear whether the Rays would have included a no-trade clause in a deal. Freeman didn't get one from the Dodgers, but the Rays are seemingly a team more likely to decide a few years into the deal to try to shed Freeman's salary via trade.
Heyman also notes that the Boston Red Sox were one of the teams in on Freeman, though it's unclear what their final offer -- if there was one -- looked like.
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