Freddie Freeman remains one of MLB‘s hottest free agents.
The team with which he played his whole career to this point, the Atlanta Braves, decided to pursue a younger alternative in Matt Olson, closing one potential door.
Freeman, fortunately, has plenty of open doors at this point.
Jon Heyman of MLB Network had reported that the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tampa Bay Rays, and the New York Yankees are interested in Freeman’s services.
You can go ahead and add another name to the list of suitors.
“Add the Padres to the mix for Freeman now,” was B/R Walk-Off’s tweet, citing USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
Add the Padres to the mix for Freeman now, per @BNightengale https://t.co/9L1iWh8i97
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) March 15, 2022
Indeed, several teams are growing frustrated because some of their targets are slowly being taken off the board, and they want to make a statement themselves.
The Padres Badly Need To Upgrade At First Base
In the specific case of the San Diego Padres, they are looking to make up for some of the lost production after Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s latest injury, one that could keep him sidelined for the next three months.
Additionally, their first base situation is far from ideal itself, as they have been fielding the below-average Eric Hosmer there for a couple of years.
At the moment, they have been actively trying to trade him and his big contract, even attaching a prospect to entice a team, but they haven’t succeeded.
Freeman would be an offensive upgrade for just about any team.
Last year, he slashed .300/.393/.503 with 31 home runs, 120 runs, and 83 RBI.
He also hit five homers in the playoffs, including one in the final game of the World Series to lift his team.
Any team would be lucky to have him, including the Padres, but he is expected to cost around $180 million.
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