Dodgers: MLB Writer Highlights Scenario in Which LA Could Pivot to Signing Freddie Freeman
The further the offseason drags on the less it seems the Dodgers will retain star shortstop Corey Seager. There has been a lot of buzz so far about where he will end up next season and beyond. He’s already been approached by the Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers, and there’s the obvious suitor in the New York Yankees. Bringing him back won’t be an easy task.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic pointed out that the Dodgers could turn their attention to another left-handed bat if they do indeed strike out on Seager.
“The Dodgers, as presently constituted, would play Max Muncy at first and Trea Turner at second. But if somehow they failed to re-sign shortstop Corey Seager, a player they seem to very much want back, they could replace his left-handed bat with Freeman’s, then play Muncy at second and Turner at short. An intriguing fallback, for sure.”
There are few players that can replace the bat of Corey Seager, and Freddie Freeman is one of them. With Freeman inserted into the lineup as a big left-handed power bat, the Dodgers could then turn their attention to extending Trea Turner and making him their shortstop of the future. Muncy has shown he can be a serviceable second baseman and his bat would play up at a position that isn’t known too well for power.
An infield of Freeman, Muncy, Trea, and Justin Turner would be elite and it would also solve the hole at second base that was there before Trea arrived. If Gavin Lux ever finds the spark that made him one of the best prospects a couple of years ago, then the Dodgers would have a great problem on their hands or they could turn and flip him for an upgrade to fill any more holes later on.
Of course, this scenario isn’t a guarantee as Freeman loves playing in Atlanta, and the Dodgers would still need to address other areas of need on the roster. Still, it isn’t too far-fetched of an idea.
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There is absolutely zero chance the Atlanta and Freeman will not get a contract done that keeps him in Atlanta.
I agree with your assessment GJ. Freeman and Seager arguably would have similar contracts as far as yearly value. So why not sign Seager rather than shuffling parts? Not only that, but Muncy is a better fielder than Freeman at first. Freeman loves Atlanta. Seager maybe not quite that level but close with LA. Nahhh don’t see Freeman coming here.
Freddie Freeman is a significantly better defensive first baseman than Muncy. SS is more highly valued defensive position than so the same money should get you much more offense. Both Freeman and the Braves want him there, but it will happen.
And you know that… HOW?
Freeman has a gold glove at first. I think not in Muncy’s case.
The fact is Atlanta is trying to low-ball Freeman, and no matter how much he loves playing in Atlanta, if the Dodgers offer him a much better offer..say two extra years and $50 million more, who turns that down? Would you?
If Atlanta offers 5years/$130 million
And Dodgers offer 6 years/180 million, his wife would divorce him if he turned down 50 million extra, IMO.
If the Dodgers have to spend $300+ million for Seager…
And they could sing Freeman for $180 mil. And Scherzer for $120 million (3 years, $40 million per)
Would you take Seager, or Freeman AND Max for the same money, I don’t see any way they would choose Seager in that scenario.
Of course I was wrong once?
Atlanta will be burned again if they don’t sign FF. He can make on field money in Atlanta off field in a number of ventures. In LA he is another player.
I see Freeman reverting back to postseason choke artist if he ends up here. I think it’s best for all parties if he remains in ATL
And there’s no reason to believe he won’t end up staying with the Braves anyway. They just won a WS and he embraces Atlanta. This idea of signing Freeman is too big of a reach. Simply put, ether sign Seager or move on.
He will probably go back to Atlanta, but if they cannot figure out a deal, then the Dodgers should be his backup plan.
A pipe dream.
Signing CT3 is the wisest fix to our position player dilemma. Why would we sign a high cost first baseman and move Muncy off his best position while there’s a fix for less cost in Taylor? Yea, I know this hypothesis is about offense, but you don’t replace Seager’s offense by creating problems elsewhere. Trust me, signing Taylor will save $ elsewhere. All we need is CT, a bridge third baseman and some bench help. That would free up the rest of the payroll for pitching. I’m soo glad Andrew is smarter than these beat writers!
The off-season has been “dragging on” now a total of 21 days. That doesn’t indicate one way or another whether the Dodgers will re-sign Seager. Seager’s agent Scott Boras wants to seem how big the market will go. Unless the Dodgers or someone else says “hey, here’s $300 million” tomorrow, there should be no realistic expectation that Seager would suddenly jump out of the free agent pool.I’m pretty sure any numbers proffered at this point are well below that. If Seager waits until after the expected work stoppage and maybe after Correa signs, then his number probably goes up more than a little bit. In the meantime, I just don’t see Freddie Freeman in Dodger Blue.
I said this over a month ago and was scoffed at. Now some big shot says it and everyone’s interested.
If and when Seager walks, this kind of move is almost a must. Freeman is the prototypical Friedman player and with “MVP Bellinger” now MIA and without Seager and Joc’s left handed power, what was once a LHB heavy lineup really only has Muncy for lefty power and is suddenly a RHB heavy lineup. Putting Freeman at 1B and Muncy at 2B would restore some of that and the Dodgers would have 2 lefty power bats to balance the two Turners, Mookie, Smith and Pollock… 5 righty power bats. I’m not counting on Bellinger or Lux to provide significant power in 2022. Unless Friedman has other moves in mind to give the Dodgers more pop from the left-hand side (like maybe signing a lefty DH), I would have no problem with them outbidding the Braves for Freeman’s services.
I guess we need an All Star in every position.I guess the Dodgers can afford these massive contracts.I guess the Dodgers would be the most hated team.
I like the idea of signing Freeman, who would be an anchor at first. He would bring a lot more value to the team than Seager. Belli or Muncy would be his backup. Muncy at 2nd, Trea at SS, and JT at 3rd would indeed be a great infield. Lux and CT3 would be the main backups for both the infield and outfield. Pollock, (a bounce-back) Belli, and Mooky in the outfield. There are no weaknesses here and there is an excellent backup at any position in the event of injury.
Sign Freeman, Seager, Kershaw and Sherzer