Dodgers: Freddie Freeman Was Blindsided By the Braves in Free Agency

The Dodgrs sort of shocked everyone by landing Freddie Freeman on a free-agent deal. When the 2021 season came to an end, the expectation across the league was that he would sign a long-term deal with the franchise he was drafted by and just won a World Series with. 

Freeman spent 14 years in the Braves organization after being drafted out of El Modena High School in 2007. He made it to the big leagues in 2010 and has spent his entire career with the Braves up until signing with the Dodgers. 

But at his introductory press conference on Friday, Freddie talked about the lack of communication from Atlanta. He added that he only received two phone calls from them throughout his free agency, as opposed to the Dodgers who would call more than twice in a day.

“I thought I was going to spend my whole career there. But ultimately sometimes plans change. …To be honest, I was blindsided. I think every emotion came across. I was hurt. It’s really hard to put into words still.”

It’s very odd that an organization would seemingly toss aside their franchise player. But the Dodgers took full advantage of that, and Freeman knows how dedicated they are to winning another title. 

“Everyone knew the situation I was in and they were very upfront and they cared about where I was coming from and how long I was there. They cared about family. I expressed family and winning. That’s all I care about and that’s what they care about too.”

The Braves went out and traded for Matt Olson even before Freddie landed with the Dodgers. The reports that came out suggested that Atlanta never communicated any plans with Freeman’s camp about their plan to add in another first baseman. 

Dodgers Related: Interesting Details in Freddie Freeman’s Contract

But regardless of how it all went down, Freddie is a member of the Dodgers now. He’ll be here for a very long time, and Atlanta is going to regret that. 

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