Persistent speculation of friction between Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves front office came to a head earlier this week when they traded for Matt Olson and promptly signed him to an eight-year, $168 million contract extension.
That signaled the end of Freeman’s tenure with the Braves, the franchise that selected him in the second round of the 2007 MLB Draft. Both prior to and after the MLB lockout, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees were regarded as the Braves’ biggest threat to pry away their franchise cornerstone.
Over the past few days the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays were reportedly in pursuit of the 32-year-old as well. Freeman came to a free agency decision on Wednesday evening by agreeing to a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Freeman signing with the Dodgers came with bypassing an opportunity to receive a more lucrative contract from another team:
Freeman had an opportunity to get a bigger deal elsewhere but decided to go home to LA
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 17, 2022
Tension between Freeman and the Braves reportedly surfaced over a disagreement on length of a deal. Atlanta was said to be against six years and never surpassed a five-year, $140 million offer.
Though under a different front office, the Braves previously signed Freeman to an eight-year, $135 million contract extension in February 2014. That was the richest contract in Braves history, surpassing the seven-year, $90 million pact Chipper Jones received in 2000.
Ronald Acuña Jr. then signed the largest contract in Braves franchise history with his eight-year, $100 million deal but that designation now belongs to Olson.
Dodgers increased offer to sign Freeman
While it was evident the Dodgers had significant interest in the 2020 National League MVP, they reportedly attempted to entice him with a high average annual value in terms of salary on only four years.
Negotiations between L.A. and Freeman then advanced once they expanded the contract offer to be six years.
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