A common refrain from Freddie Freeman during his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Dodgers was how much of a “whirlwind” free agency had been in the week after the MLB lockout ended.
Freeman also acknowledged the entire offseason was a rollercoaster as his future with the Atlanta Braves hung in the balance. Freeman reportedly grew frustrated with the Braves front office refusing to include a sixth year on a contract offer, which created an opportunity for the Dodgers.
While speaking from Camelback Ranch, Freeman expressed some surprise and disappointment over how matters unfolded with the Braves. He also appeared to have no love lost for Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, who was tearful when discussing Freeman after trading for Matt Olson.
“I saw ’em. That’s all I’ll say,” answered Freeman when asked about Anthopoulos’ emotional interview. The 2020 National League MVP has since apologized to Anthopoulos, which he revealed as part of a letter to Braves fans that was shared on MLB.com:
First of all, my relationship with (Braves president of baseball operations) Alex Anthopoulos remains great. When we spoke earlier this week, I told Alex how much I enjoyed my time in Atlanta, especially last year when we all experienced the thrill of winning a World Series. I also apologized for some of the comments I made during my introductory press conference with the Dodgers. It was a very emotional week for my family and I.
Everyone should know my wife, Chelsea, and I will always have the utmost respect for the entire Braves organization and the city of Atlanta. My family and I loved every minute we had in Atlanta. We envisioned our future there, which is why it was such an emotional week for us. However, we truly believe that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason. We believe that we are exactly where we are supposed to be with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
Even with Freeman regularly speaking highly about signing with the Dodgers and the opportunity to play in front of family, he has been honest in saying leaving the Braves was never a reality he thought would arrive.
“If you’re going to spend 15 years in some place, there’s going to be emotions and everything like that. I think I’ve been pretty honest throughout the whole 2021 season when I was a Brave that I thought I was going to spend my whole career there,” Freeman said.
“Sometimes plans change, and plans did change. I think my family and I, it was a whirlwind of a process, especially when the lockout lifted. Things moved fast and in a whole bunch of different ways that we weren’t really expecting.
“Ultimately, you just never knew how it was going to play out in free agency. But once you get out there, things started going and once the lockout lifted, they made their decision to make the trade, and at that point it was just time to come home.”
Freeman getting comfortable with Dodgers
On top of joining a new team for the first time in his career, Freeman has needed to get adjusted during a shortened Spring Training. After hitting a home run on Friday, Freeman said that process is steadily moving along and he had settled into a routine.
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