The Atlanta Braves traded four of their best prospects to bring in first baseman Matt Olson from the Oakland Athletics.
That move pretty much marked the end of Freddie Freeman‘s tenure with the Braves, a team he has been playing with for more than a decade.
The Braves opted to flip two top-100 prospects and two organizational top 15 prospects before giving Freeman the six-year, $180 million contract he wanted.
He still hasn’t signed, but the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Boston Red Sox, and the New York Yankees remain focused on securing his services.
If he ends up leaving, as is the expectations after the Braves brought Olson, fans will be devastated.
Freeman is a legend in Atlanta, and is the symbol of their first World Series championship since 1995, achieved last year.
The Fans Won’t Forget Freeman
However, there are some good memories that fans will likely won’t forget.
Freeman, for starters, was the MVP of the National League in 2020.
He has been a star for a decade now, but the last two years were the most special, for obvious reasons.
Not only did he hit .300 with 31 home runs and 120 runs scored last year, but he also led the Braves in their playoff run with five home runs.
Freeman’s last game with a Braves’ uniform, however, was the most special of all.
“If Freddie Freeman is moving on from Atlanta, his last swing was a home run and his last defensive play was catching the final out of the World Series clincher. That’s not a bad way to go out,” Sporting News’ Jason Foster tweeted.
If Freddie Freeman is moving on from Atlanta, his last swing was a home run and his last defensive play was catching the final out of the World Series clincher. That's not a bad way to go out.
— Jason Foster (@ByJasonFoster) March 14, 2022
Nobody can take away anything from Freeman, and he surely would have loved to stay.
The team decided to move on, though, and there is nothing he can do at this point.
He is leaving with a good taste in his mouth, and that’s something he can be proud of.
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