Freddie Freeman described the offseason as moving at a breakneck pace once the MLB lockout ended, and that hardly slowed in the days since signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Freeman was formally introduced during a press conference at Camelback Ranch last Friday, and after that came multiple days of photoshoots along with promotional responsibilities. All the while Freeman participated in workouts on the backfields and tried to immerse himself with a new team.
Freeman got into the Dodgers lineup for his first game on Tuesday, starting at first base and batting third, behind Trea Turner and Justin Turner.
Fans greeted the All-Star first baseman with loud applause and chants of “Freddie,” which Freeman was appreciative of as he continues to settle in, per Juan Toribio of MLB.com
“It’s a new chapter and the fans chanting my name was very nice,” Freeman said. “Usually Dodger fans aren’t chanting my name over the last 12 years, so that was nice.”
Freeman responded to the fanfare by going the other way for a base hit with two strikes in the first inning. He later beat out a potential double play. Those were the only two plate appearances of the day, though Freeman played four innings in the field.
Although the Dodgers have emphasized taking a methodical approach to preparing players for the regular season, Freeman intends to make consistent starts over the remainder of a shortened Spring Training.
Freddie Freeman contract impacted Dodgers’ pursuit of Jansen
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has consistently stressed the organization does not evaluate payroll on a single-season basis. However, their signing of Freeman appears to have influenced Kenley Jansen signing with the Atlanta Braves.
Although the Dodgers reportedly were willing to present him with a two-year contract, Jansen felt the team first wanted to complete other transactions to shed salary.
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