The Major League Baseball lockout is not only causing delays for the Atlanta Braves and a potential new Freddie Freeman contract, but it's also put a pause on deals with other major contributors.
MLB and the MLB Player's Association are reportedly still not close on reaching a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. If no agreement is made by Monday, the 2022 season will be shortened.
Prior to the lockout on Dec. 2, Freeman was looking for a new contract that included a sixth year. The Braves only offered him a five-year, $135 million contract according to reports.
92.9 The Game reporter Joe Patrick said Freeman shouldn't be the Braves only concern, however. There are other key players the team needs to prioritize.
"We haven't really talked about a lot of these other really important players that were pivotal for the Braves throughout their postseason run to a Championship," Patrick told the Midday Show.
"You're talking about Eddie Rosario, a guy that we kind of assumed the Braves would not re-sign because we thought the market would be really hot for him. Well, he never re-signed with anybody before the lockout. Jorge Soler, another obviously vitally important player."
"You also have Marcell Ozuna coming back into the team--that's not necessarily a priority because he's on the roster but the Braves will have to understand what role he may or may not play during this season and how that would configure into other moves that they make."
"There's lots of different complexities in terms of how they go about structuring this roster, and there is still a lot to get done--some major pieces outside of just getting Freddie Freeman done."