The Atlanta Braves are riding high after winning the World Series.
But the offseason is here and that means gearing up to defend their title in 2022.
The top question surrounding the Braves is the status of Freddie Freeman.
The career Brave is now a free agent after his eight-year, $135 million extension came to an end.
So what are the team’s plans?
Their GM gave a brief, obvious statement on the matter.
#Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos on Freddie Freeman, whom he said will get a qualifying offer today as a procedural move: "We love him. He's great. We want him to stay. He wants to stay…Our goal is to sign him and keep him a Brave. That's probably all I can say at this point."
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 7, 2021
Braves fans are now left wondering if the team will pay up for Freeman, or if they are just saying nice things and planning to move on now that they won a World Series title.
Figuring Out A Cost
Freeman may have missed the boat on a potential 10-year contract due to his age.
After 12 seasons in Atlanta, @FreddieFreeman5 has his ring! pic.twitter.com/D7Mi31Uyxu
— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2021
Players like Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera have proved that such a deal for a player over the age of 30 is not worth the cost.
Spotrac lists Freeman’s market value as a five-year deal worth $136 million.
He may be seeking something longer and up in the $200 million range.
And Freeman could likely find a suitor for such a deal given his MVP abilities for so long in Atlanta.
The conversation then comes down to if he would potentially take less money, but still a fortune, to stay with the Braves and ultimately retire with the team.
Winning the World Series does change the situation a bit if ownership now wants to cut costs a bit.
But if not, there is no reason why this Freeman situation needs to drag on throughout the postseason.
He can give his price and the Braves can counter.
If the two sides can’t reach a resolution, they can both move on and start focusing on 2022 without this as a distraction.
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