Though the consensus around the game remains that a reunion between Freddie Freeman and the Braves is something of a fait accompli, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports that the two sides are still hung up on the length of the deal. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale had previously reported that the 2020 NL MVP had already rejected the Braves’ best offer ($135MM over five years), though it’s unclear if that’s the same offer the club had made when Heyman reported a “gap” between the two sides in September.
Freeman, who has played the entirety of his twelve-year big-league career in Atlanta, is reportedly looking for a deal that would pay him something closer to $200MM over six years. Whether or not the Braves have bumped up their dollar offer is unclear, but the first baseman, who cemented his place in the annals of Braves history during the club’s 2021 World Series run, appears set on receiving a deal that would take him through at least his age-37 season. It’s quite clear that a carbon-copy of the five-year, $130MM deal Paul Goldschmidt signed with the Cardinals ahead of the 2019 season won’t get it done. MLBTR projects that Freeman will ultimately sign for six years and $180MM.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has already confirmed the club will run a higher payroll in 2022. To keep Freeman around, they’ll have to; following yesterday’s signing of Manny Piña, Cot’s Baseball Contracts estimates (including arbitration salary projections) that the Braves have already committed just shy of $133MM to their 2022 roster. This figure could decrease with a suspension of Marcell Ozuna (who’s slated to earn $16MM next year) or if the club chooses to non-tender a few of its arbitration-eligible players (Johan Camargo, Sean Newcomb, and Orlando Arcia are all non-tender candidates), but not by enough to accommodate the roughly $30MM Freeman will command on an annual basis without a significant payroll bump.
Beyond Freeman’s importance as the face of the franchise (a role he inherited from Chipper Jones), his career numbers justify a significant investment. Since debuting as a September call-up in 2010, Freeman has put together the numbers of a likely future Hall 0f Famer, compiling a .295/.384/.509 career slash-line while mashing 271 homers. His best year came in the abbreviated 2020 season, when he put together a monstrous .341/.462/.640 line across 60 games and won his first career MVP. A pillar of consistency, Freeman hasn’t posted an OPS+ below 132 since 2012 (his age-22 season) and has played in at least 147 games in all but two of his eleven full seasons. He’s not yet shown any signs of regression, as he followed up his MVP year with a .300/.393/.503 line (basically identical to his career marks) and an OPS north of 1.000 in the playoffs.
Among the many interesting wrinkles in the surprisingly drawn-out process of a reigning World Champion attempting to hold on to its best player is the Braves’ ownership structure. Because Liberty Media, the club’s owner since a complicated stock swap deal with Time Warner in 2007, is a publicly traded company, it must disclose a detailed account of its earnings on a quarterly basis, giving fans and followers of the industry a unique look into the team’s internal financial workings. Maury Brown of Forbes reports that the club posted baseball-related revenues of $222MM in the third quarter of 2021 (roughly the second half of the season) alone.
Heyman reported yesterday that the Yankees, who beat the Braves in both the ’96 and ’99 Fall Classics, have at least kicked the tires on Freeman — a development likely to send shivers down the spines of Braves fans. Though hardly surprising — every team with money and a need at first base is likely to at least check in — the news will only put further pressure on Anthopoulos to re-sign his team’s most consistent and recognizable player. Travis d’Arnaud, Ozzie Albies, and Atlanta-area native Dansby Swanson (an infant when the Braves last won a title) have already joined the chorus of fans demanding a speedy deal, calling on club management to “re-sign Freddie” during their speeches at Truist Park following the team’s championship parade.
Even if the Braves do wrap up a deal to keep Freeman in Atlanta into his elder years, Anthopoulos’ offseason business is unlikely to be done. Three of the four outfielders the club acquired in July (Joc Pederson, NLCS MVP Eddie Rosario, and World Series MVP Jorge Soler) are also free agents, and the fourth (Adam Duvall) is arbitration-eligible after turning down his half of a $7MM mutual option. With Ozuna’s future in Atlanta uncertain, Ronald Acuña Jr. still recovering from a major knee injury, and top prospect Cristian Pache a major question mark with the bat, the reigning champ’s outfield situation remains up in the air. They may also wish to add a veteran starter to a mix that includes Max Fried, Ian Anderson, Charlie Morton, and a stable of promising-but-unproven arms (including Huascar Ynoa, Kyle Wright, Tucker Davidson, Kyle Muller, and Touki Toussaint) with mixed records in the big leagues.
Just give him what he wants, you weirdos.
If it’s all about the 6th year just offer him a 6 year $150M deal. That’s $25M a year but the Braves would only be paying $15M for the 6th year since they offered him 5/135 already. If he doesn’t take that then tell him he can still have the $150M but he only has to be under contract for 5 years and he can become a free agent after that. If he doesn’t take that I would consider letting him walk and take the draft pick compensation. Paying a 32 year old 1st baseman $30M a year for the next half decade should be enough. I would draw a line after that.
You can’t earn the 6th year until your in the 6th year. Freeman has earned the years he’s already played and not a year more. This isn’t about what he did in the past. This is about what he will do in the future.
If anyone thinks Freddie Freeman will be worth $30M when he is 37 years old I have to respectfully disagree. It has never happened for a first baseman before and I don’t see why it would happen now.
I keep seeing these comparisons to Chipper Jones. Chipper kept taking $15M a year contracts without ever testing free agency. When Chipper was older he took a discount contract and a pay decrease even though he just won a batting title. He hit .364 at the age of 36. That contract actually worked out poorly for the Braves. Chipper went from one of the best hitters to the planet at age 36 to not even being worth close to $14 million at age 37.
The Braves are willing to pay Freddie more than twice as much as Chipper and cover that age 37 year where he will be in steep decline. Asking them to cover another steep decline year after that is too much. Getting paid $30 million for a year you suck is a generous send off. Asking for 2 of those years is just bad for the long term construction of the team.
Freddie Freeman is no Chipper Jones. People are getting too emotional about this because Freddie is the face of the franchise. No one should ever look at him as Chipper Jones. Chipper Jones is the absolute greatest switch hitter in National League history. No question about it. Only Mickey Mantle compares. Chipper was a third baseman as well. Freddie Freeman is a first baseman who hits from one side of the plate.
Long term contracts for older first baseman never work out. Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, Albert Pujols, Mo Vaughn, Eric Hosmer, Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Mauer, Prince Fielder. That’s what you have to choose from when it comes to long term contracts for first baseman.
Does anyone really think people weren’t saying those guys were special and would be worth it? Does anyone really think Freeman is so much better than all of them that he is a surefire bet to pay off when they all became terrible contracts? Come on. Don’t make major long term commitments based on emotion. Base your decisions on what you can learn from the past. A 6 year contract for Freeman is most likely to turn out the same way as the other first baseman who received big money contracts through their age 37 or 38 years of age.
@MetsMissed- I disagree with you on basically everything.
The Braves have an MVP level player in a window of contention. You want to try to win another World Series or two or do you want to bargain shop in an effort to appear to be the smartest guy in the room?
Even if you let Freeman walk, you think they’re re-signing everyone to sweetheart deals for the club like they got with RAJ? No, you lock up Freeman and make your run now.
The Braves heavily base payroll on ticket sales. You think that’s a good look to let Freeman walk? You think I’m going to the park to watch someone “cheap” play 1B? Lol
You worry about the now in this moment and the later when it comes. I’d like to see another championship before 2047.
@Appalachian_Law: Why not just do everything you can to try and make sure you can win EVERY year? Last I checked that’s exactly how the Braves got to where they are. No need to act like the Nationals after they won it all and get stuck with a Strasburg-esque contract. What you are saying now is exactly what Nationals fans were saying then and it quickly turned them into a last place team. Go with the philosophy that took you to the dance.
I applaud the Nats for what they did.
This game is cyclical. No one wins every year. You push your chips in while you have them or you end up 85-77 and barely missing the playoffs or bounced early.
If RAJ doesn’t return until June and you don’t have Freeman, what is this club early next year? Honest opinion.
“Only Mickey Mantle compares.” Nice to see Mick compare favorably.
I don’t think it’s a huge deal if the Braves don’t win a title in 2022. I do want them to win another one by 2025 for sure though.
I get what you are saying about 6 years being too long but I disagree with you on the comparison to chipper. Yes chipper was a switch hitter and freeman isn’t but they both brought value to the braves in different ways. It isn’t just about the on field production to most of us who want the braves to keep freeman at all costs. We probably are sentimental because of his past and his last few seasons and the world series win this year but he has been the chosen face of the organization so he is the closest thing we have to a part of our teams identity being removed. I personally don’t want to see him leave but I understand it is a business and he has to take care of his family and take the best deal. I’m ok with them going 6 years and up to 200 but it’s not my money, but I will support my team and freeman even if they aren’t the same come next year. At the very least I can say that I have been a fan since I can remember and I took for granted all the great teams of the 90s and that incredible run and this season was great. Freeman was a large part of that because he has become the most identifiable person with what the team looked like when it was bad and the joy on his face every time the team advanced this year. Sure acuna could be the next face if freddie leaves but it will still hurt to lose a player that says he doesn’t want to leave over 1 extra year on a contract.
Nope, Appalachian_Outlaw. Short term thinking. With our budget and the playoff system, the goal is to make the playoffs every year and run up a long streak like we had in the 1990’s. Forget the “window of contention” if it means overpaying for 2027-8, dropping out of contention because of bad contracts, and having to “rebuild.”
Freeman’s salary in 2027 should be projected from his performance 2024-6, and the trend line those years suggest. If he can’t deal with earning what he deserves in that year and insists on getting payments for what he did six years earlier, then we must consider Olson or Rizzo.
Comparing signing Freddie and resigning the oft injured Strasburg is preposterous. You couldn’t be more off base here. Maybe take this thread off.
Nope, Jimk- you’re so wrong. So very, very, very wrong.
You don’t negotiate with a franchise icon producing at MVP levels on a year-to-year basis. That’s a joke.
You also can’t view it as how do you win another 14 straight because it doesn’t happen that way. What do you think the odds of doing that twice are?
Oh, and if that’s the goal, you don’t set about it by trading half the farm for Olson or downgrading to Rizzo.
I’m glad you’re not the GM of my favorite team. I would be the first to start a petition to fire you.
*can’t deal with, or *get more than.
Honest question-how different inflation-wise is 15 million in 2003 from 27 million in 2021?
Dude chipper was a 2-3 win player from age 36 on. How was he not worth $14m? Even back then a win in free agency was like $5.7m.
How bout comparing to the Miguel Cabrera contract. You don’t want to be paying him for what he did this year 5 years down the road. Tigers are still paying him like a triple crown winner. Freeman won’t be playing at MVP level in 2028.
Justin – General inflation from 2003 to 2021 is about 50%. However, the average baseball player salary increased over 80% during the same time frame. As a result, $15M in 2003 is about $27-28M in 2021.
@A_O That’s part of where you’re going wrong. To call FF ‘an MVP level player’ doesn’t mean much of anything. Better to call him ‘a 5 win 1B about to go into steep decline because they all do.’
Do you think the Braves can’t do better over the next 6 years with $180 million? They’ll probably be slightly worse in 2022 trying to spend $30m elsewhere,* but they’re overwhelmingly likely to be significantly better in 2027, probably so in 2026, and so on.
*I wouldn’t count on it, though. Having $30m to spend means being able to staunch the bleeding in your most underperforming areas.
Did you just figure this out? All contracts are based on what a player will (hopefully) do in the future, whether it’s for one year or six. This is nothing new. A team gives a player a contract, they’re taking a chance on what the player will do.
15 million in 2003 is 22.5 million in 2021.
Seriously. He’s not some random free agent. He’s the face of the franchise, HOFer, the captain, and just helped win you a World Series.
That is what Freeman HAS done. This contract is for what he WILL do in the future. They should not pay 30 mil per year for his declining years.
@dodger You can predict when a player will decline? You would be the 1st person who has ever done that.
Scherzer was supposed to be in his decline years too.
Because Scherzer is just like everyone else.
And Freddie is too.
Declining years? He plays 1B, he is actually getting better at this point in his career. Chipper played until he was 39 at 3B. He is the modern day Chipper. He’ll get paid by the Braves.
DodgerOK makes a fair point. DJ LeMahieu was in the wrong side of 30 and wanted the Yankees to pay him $$ for what he did over two years. They wanted to pay him for what he’d be expected to do over the term of an extension.
No, you can’t predict exactly what will happen but you can look at historical trends for similar players at similar positions and offer fair market value w/ perhaps some add’l “love” within reason.
In the case of Freeman, if it’s a matter of 1 year, agreed, give the man the 6th year, but maybe at a lower ACV?
I’d love to see more contracts get front loaded so that teams pay more for players in years they would be expected to produce at a higher clip, but I guess it doesn’t really matter from a luxury tax perspective since it uses AACV.
@GIants74 they all decline and most of them do it around the same time it’s called being human. I don’t understand the problem from either side here. Five years for millions and millions or six years for millions and millions does it really matter? Freeman will be set for life either way so he’s just as bad as they are. It’d be nice for once to have egos not play a part in negotiations. ‘Well Paul Goldschmidt got this many years so I should get the same or more.’ Who cares? I’m tired of hearing about these guys feelings being hurt by multi million dollar contract offers.
You can predict when a player will decline?
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Sure. What do you think sites like Fangraphs exist for?
Braveslifer46 mins ago
Chipper played until he was 39 at 3B..
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Then you should sign Riley to a 15-year extension.
@mystery team So what if he declines? Baseball is entertainment. He draws viewers, listeners, and butts in seats. Why shouldn’t the Braves pay him for the draw he will be?
@joebrady Funny. I don’t see any stats listed on Fangraphs for the 2022, 2023, 2024 season etc.
I’m not explaining the relationship between the beatings one’s knees and body take at 3B versus playing 1B. Nowhere in any of my comments was Riley mentioned. If Chipper can play 3B at 39, so can Freddie.
Good point, he will continue to generate tons of souvenir and ticket sales.
DodgerOK – if they shouldn’t pay Freeman $30M a year for his decline years, they shouldn’t have paid him $500k for his first three years in the majors and well under what he was worth during his arbitration years.
Remember Albert Pujols? He rejected the Cardinals offer and everyone thought St Louis was nuts for letting their face of the franchise go. Compare his stats with the Angels to what he did in St Louis. Now it looks like a good deal and saved the Cards money to spend on other parts. I am a big Freddie fan, but think about having that much money tied to one player. You’ll have to pinch players later on who can get you back to the WS.
@Giants74 It’s beyond contemptible when people say this kind of thing. Show some intellectual integrity.
and based on his performance in this year’s postseason, he lived up to that.
What players, journalists, and some fans don’t seem to understand is you’re paying for future performance only. What he did this past year only made his last contract a smart investment by the Braves, and for him.
Business decisions should be made dispassionately. If Freeman is a worthy sucessor to Chipper he’ll soon realize that by taking less he’ll be surrounded by better Atlanta teammates.
I’ll leave it to the stat geeks to demonstrate the typical performance decline of most major stars in their mid-to-late 30’s. Albert Pujols for instance, (10 years, 1181 games for LAA, no championships.).
The Braves already carry one bad contract, Ozuna, because they misjudged his character. Excessive gratitude seems like a more sympathetic excuse for a Freeman overpay mistake, but for that reason it’s more hazardous. At 3-4x the cost, it’s a potential pennant killer for the middle and later part of this decade..
Ozuna’s contract is only bad due to his legal issues. Freeman isn’t built like Pujols. Freddie will be fine in 6 years.
No, the moral issues are the lingering ones. The courts have already let Ozuna off easy, but he’s tainted by the stain and should be dealt.
I hope you’re right about Freddie, but by then he should be glad to sign an extension for years 6-7. If it weren’t for the MLBPA, teams would be able to write performance metrics into contracts. That would be fair.
Turning down $27m. per season was a shameful look for Freddie to at least one (female) fan I know. Freddie’s 2027 salary is best judged in 2026, when we know more about his health, performance arc, etc. He may make more, given what’s been happening with inflation, but I hope not. Or players may want to be paid in gold or bitcoin. I just want the Braves to be able to offer Riley, Fried, etc. the kind of deals they made with Acuna and Albies.
@jimk- basically you could’ve shortened that up and said: “Ownership should be able to lowball everyone!”
I’m quite certain the payroll can sustain Freeman’s contract after winning the World Series.
You can’t “earn the 6th year” until your in the 6th year. Freeman has earned the years he’s already played and not a year more. This isn’t about what he did in the past. This is about what he will do in the future. If anyone thinks Freddie Freeman will be worth $30M when he is 37 years old I have to respectfully disagree. It has never happened for a first baseman before and I don’t see why it would happen now. I keep seeing these comparisons to Chipper Jones. Chipper kept taking $15M a year contracts without ever testing free agency. When Chipper was older he took a discount contract and a pay decrease even though he just won a batting title. He hit .364 at the age of 36. That contract actually worked out poorly for the Braves. Chipper went from one of the best hitters to the planet at age 36 to not even being worth close to $14 million at age 37. The Braves are willing to pay Freddie more than twice as much as Chipper and cover that age 37 year where he will be in steep decline. Asking them to cover another steep decline year after that is too much. Getting paid $30 million for a year you suck is a generous send off. Asking for 2 of those years is just bad for the long term construction of the team.
Freddie Freeman is no Chipper Jones. People are getting too emotional about this because Freddie is the face of the franchise. No one should ever look at him as Chipper Jones. Chipper Jones is the absolute greatest switch hitter in National League history. No question about it. Chipper was a third baseman as well. Freddie Freeman is a first baseman who hits from one side of the plate.
Long term contracts for older first baseman never work out. Miguel Cabrera, Chris Davis, Albert Pujols, Mo Vaughn, Eric Hosmer, Adrian Gonzalez, Joe Mauer, Prince Fielder. That’s what you have to choose from when it comes to long term contracts for first baseman.
Does anyone really think people weren’t saying those guys were special and would be worth it? Does anyone really think Freeman is so much better than all of them that he is a surefire bet to pay off when they all became terrible contracts? Come on. Don’t make major long term commitments based on emotion. Base your decisions on what you can learn from the past. A 6 year contract for Freeman is most likely to turn out the same way as the other first baseman who received big money contracts through their age 37 or 38 years of age.
Braveslifer48 mins ago
Ozuna’s contract is only bad due to his legal issues.
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Yup, his .645 OPS and were great.
Missed WAR – Maybe that sixth year “generous send off” will make up for Freeman being underpaid every year of his career to this point.
Just throw in a vesting option 6th year. Start it off at say $14m if he plays x number of games in 2026, or, y number of games in 2025+2026. That covers health.
Then offer escalation clauses on the option… certain numbers of hits, HRs, mvp votes. Silver sluggers and GG awards. Let the option go as high as say 20, 25m if maxed out.
That covers bot paying for a poorly performing player.
A cold first month isn’t great but can change quick… Lindor was a .580(ish) OPS guy first 200 PAs (comparable to Ozuna) and ended with a .734 with another cold month in there. Ozuna truly could have been a .850+ ops guy
GASoxFan – Some of those incentives (hits, HR) are not allowed. Playing time and awards are.
@ outlaw
So $25-30mm per year is now low-balling, at the least in demand position in baseball, 1B.
@styme- So now we’re doing the it’s just 1B thing, are we?
We are talking about Freeman, an MVP level talent and the heart and soul of the Atlanta Braves. This isn’t a contract negotiation with Mitch Moreland.
When you go to a Braves game how many Freeman jerseys do you see in the stands? Aside from RAJ, who is synonymous with the marketing of the Braves? He leads this team. He generates revenue for the club.
@jimk Well said. Where’s the outpouring of support for the Braves and their fiscal probity, with fans telling Freeman to buck up and take a Goldschmidt-level deal while thanking the team for being willing to risk 8 years on the last deal?
I’m sure your “fiscal probity” jersey is magnificent. Do you wear that one or does it go in a glass case on the wall for you to admire?
You want to dive into it, fine- every deal is a risk. Name whomever you believe to be the best player in the game, there’s a chance they could get injured and never be the same. So what, we don’t pay anyone?
Stop. Being. Cheap.
Seriously, I feel like I’m talking to the owner of the Pirates.
I don’t root for owners, fiscal probity or the Tampa Bay way some fans are so enamored with. I root for the players that entertain me, and they deserve to be compensated.
I was amused, anyway. Thanks.
Frankly, you could have just written “Pay Da Man!” it would have amounted to the same thing, but you wouldn’t have confused yourself.
Jack – Just how high is that horse you’re sitting astride?
You could say all of that about pujols a decade ago and look at the bullet the cardinals dodged
The difference in Pujols and Freeman however is you were talking about 10 yrs for a player that statically was coming off of the worst season of his career. Can you honestly tell me Freeman is demanding 10 years and is coming off his worst season? You can’t say that so the comparison isn’t really apples to apples. By stats Freeman is about 4 years into his best 7 year run here. Your only talking about paying Freeman through his year 37 season with a 6 year extension. I would say give him the 6 outright, with 2 years of options at lower values. He’s going to make the team way more than the contract anyways its just how greedy liberty wants to get.
@HB1989 If you think an ‘option’ on a 38 y0 1Bman is worth more than dogcheese, I have a bridge…
JackStrawb apparently can see the future and knows how Freeman will perform at age 38…
Also, where’s the outpouring of support for the owners to pay players what they’re worth during their first six years in the majors?
@johnrealtime Well, that, and Freddie’s not in the same country as Pujols through age 31.
@HoosierBravo1989 So now we’re pretending that Pujols’ worst year through 31 wasn’t as good as Freddie’s best year, and that Pooh by WAR was worth literally twice what Freddie had been?
Interesting approach.
@gbs42 Says the guy who claims to know how Freeman will perform at ages 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37….
You really can’t make this stuff up.
Jack – When did I claim to know how Freeman will perform over the next six seasons?
You really did make that stuff up.
Yep. As a Mets fan, nothing but respect for Freeman. He’s earned a sixth year. He’s only 32 and will probably still be effective at the end of it. Fan favorite, MVP, still in his prime, potential HoF. Seems like a no brainer.
Committing to giving a 37 yo $30m is indeed a ‘no brainer.’ His performance to date is why even offering a Goldschmidt type deal is on the table.
The do have the money for it
Just give him what he wants? So if he wants a 10 year $300 mil contract just give him that too?
What a naive comment to make…
Nah, there is a long track record of bad contracts for 1B signing lengthy deals at his age. Make a reasonable offer (5yr/140-very reasonable). If he rejects, pivot to find a replacement. Athletics are cutting payroll and I would expect Olson is available through trade. We have the prospects. He is from Atlanta (Lilburn) and would be a lot cheaper through his two arbitration years. Braves could use money to secure Riley and potentially Swanson long term.
I think Freeman leaves atlanta and Atlanta gets Matt Olson. Braves have the pieces and Olson is from Atlanta would be a perfect fit.
The longer Freeman sits on the market the less chance he comes back to Atlanta. He would be a perfect fit with the dodgers. He lives in Southern California.
The Dodgers are far too smart to offer an old 1Bman with no connection to them anything like $180m.
I’m predicting a contract will be in place by the end of the week.
The Braves never comment on interest in free agents, or leak negotiations, so that could very well be the case. I bet it gets done relatively soon, too.
It would be good theater to see a Godfather-esque rash of signings at the same time that the Braves have done in off-seasons of the past. Announce a bevy of deals – Freeman, OF (Soler or Rosario perhaps) and a SP.
It’s one extra year for a franchise cornerstone. Who cares GIVE IT TO HIM!! DH will be around if he gets to old to field let him dh
That’s what the Orioles fans said about Chris Davis. It’s also what the Tigers fans said about Miguel Cabrera.
its 2021 and both franchises are still paying for that mistake
Both of those teams don’t have a world series title to console them while crying about their respective bad deals.
So because we have a WS to console us we should be perfectly content if things go wrong and we pay for a mistake that restricts us from winning another.
Curious when does this WS console effect end? Should we be happy with 10 years of dumb decisions. 20 years? 30 years?
I mean hey it’s 2065 guys but at least we have our 2021 trophy to console us if bad decisions are limiting the org in 2065!!!!
@back&teal
As a Detroit fan, that doesn’t make things better, or worse. It effects this year. How many years of non contention are Braves fans willing to give up to pay Freeman, and tie up 1/6 of their payroll in one player?
@MJ Brilliant!
Chris Davis and ancient Miguel Cabrera are your examples?
So they were 37 when they got their contracts?
I don’t get the case of Chris Davis as a cautionary tale. They’re not remotely the same player.
Davis was never gonna age well dude was always a strikeout machine. Once he lost his bat speed and eye sight he was screwed. I think Freeman will age better than Miggy, Freddie has better wheels at 32 than Cabrera had at 22
And what Phillies fans said about Howard.
Chris Davis had never produced the numbers deserving of his contract before it was signed. The was just the Orioles being the Orioles. They paid their money for a player that had 2 seasons with a WAR above 2. I don’t think that’s a good comparison.
I don’t understand how the 200 for 6 is too much for the guy who’s carried ur franchise in the last decade
Because the past doesn’t matter. He’s getting older. You pay him for what he is going to do. He already got paid for everything he already did.
How people don’t understand that is beyond me
I understand this point. But also, it is not as if a contract of 6/180 is incongruent with his projected value, right? I would think he’s still a solid bet for 4-6 fWAR for the next 2-3 seasons, and even with a precipitous decline, what, say around 2 fWAR for the next 3? At 10 mil per WAR that’s pretty much on target for what you would expect, not even factoring in additional value for intangibles, importance to fanbase, etc. This team just made enough October revenue to cover the entirety of this deal and already has premier players signed to almost criminal contracts, shut up and get this done
No one voluntarily pays $10m per WAR. You’ve also got the cost of inflexibility over the next six years, that you’re in an impossibly deep hole in at least 2027 after punting $30m that season… And if the tendency was 5-WAR 1Bmen at 31 still giving you 2 fWAR at age 36-37, this wouldn’t be a problem.
Exactly
200 over 6?? Eeeshh.
I don’t believe this, given the hush-hush of AA dealings.
Obviously the info is coming from the Freeman side. His agents (not him, almost certainly).
It’s one extra year which should be easy choice. Don’t be foolish. The DH is coming, if he can’t field towards the end then throw his bat at DH it’s that simple. He is a franchise cornerstone don’t play games and he walk over one year
Oooh, I wanna negotiate with you. If you cave too easily he’ll just ask for 7.
What if its the bat that declines? Nice DH you’ll have there.
Compromise. Make the sixth year an option that can be triggered if Freeman gets 1000 plate appearances the last three years. if he’s still playing regularly it triggers even if there’s a major injury the second half of the deal. if he’s playing full time then, he deserves that sixth year as a home grown player who”s the heart and soul of the team right now.
I could agree with that but not 3 years. He has to get 1,000 plate appearances over 2 years for that kind of salary during his age 37 season.
I gave the third year because your way one major injury prevents any chance of triggering it.
Let’s go 1,000 PA over 3 years and over 400 PA in 2026. Deal?
The question is, will another team step up and offer 6 and would Freeman take it?
Probably. But they will regret it later.
Imagine the Yankees carrying an ancient Stanton, Cole, Judge, and Freeman, telling their fans ‘but you said we could just make them DHs!’
Rumor has it the Red Sox may be that team to offer it, and I would imagine they would want that deal in place before dec 1st
Yes, that is so like Bloom to pay the big buck contracts. Just ask Mookie!
Probably already have. FF is trying to get the Braves to match.
Maybe A west coast team or one of the New York teams I could see
Yep, if Freeman goes to the Yanks I’ll never recover from the spine shivers it’ll cause me.
The DH will be in place well before year six of this contract. Make it happen.
Who cares. The Braves already sealed their fate when they disrespected Freeman by QO’ing him.
That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. It’s not “disrespectful” to a player to QO him. It’s part of the business and they know that. They players aren’t stupid. Freeman fully expected to be QO’d as soon as he turned down the first $135M extension offer. In fact it is probably more disrespectful to not offer the QO because it shows you don’t even believe the player is worth $18.4M for one year like the Dodgers feel about ailing Kershaw.
@The Mets “Missed WAR” Dodgers fans said QO’ing Kershaw would have been disrespectful given his tenure with the club. I am simply applying the same logic to Freeman.
Not disrespectful it is business.
Come on!
@Dunk Dunkington That wasn’t what Dodgers fans said about Clayton Kershaw.
Where were you on that thread?
it’s not disrespectful, it was completely expected
@Justin Bobko According to Dodgers fans on the Kershaw article QO’ing a franchise icon is indeed disrespectful.
Give him the 6th year and make it a front/back loaded contract. Whichever one that makes it to where they’re not paying him $25 million+ a year for when he’s potentially declining.
It definitely should be a front loaded contract. Give him 40, 35, 30, 30, 25, 20 paying 20 mil for .275 BA and 23 Homers doesn’t hurt nearly as bad, as the 30 mill AAV. Its a heck of a steal seeing what the Cubs paid for Heyward.
You really don’t understand this is the same as 6/$180m?*
*Aside from some trivial calculations involving effectively frontloaded dollars, such that your arrangement is almost certainly worse for the team.
That’s the point. Your going to be paying for the production the next couple years with less pay for less production later. Its not worse for the team as if you assume your payroll will not go down much year to year the team frees up money every year for increases in pay after the first year. Say liberty says ok we can afford to pay 180 mill in 2022, they will like to keep the pay range similar the following years so when you get to years 5 and 6 of this deal you have more money to spend other locations.
I’d love to see him get the sixth year and then divide the money between Acuna and Albies.
Now THIS is a good idea.
Cey;
Well today is Burgess Meredith’s birthday, so your proposal is apropos.
@MannyBeingMVP. No wonder I broke my reading glasses.
@Cey Hey Well done.
@Cey Hey Yeah, that’s going to happen.
If the braves don’t want to give 6 yrs 200 I know the Redsox and Yankees will and especially the dodgers
Let them. They can keep digging that financial hole.
Max Muncy is nearly as good as Freeman. Dodgers are not interested.
Muncy to third, Turner to DH, I would be happy to slot Freeman at first. Bit Freeman will return to the Atlanta ball club.
Which club? The Braves?
With the name Freeman, Freddie should leverage his high profile into urging a change of the team name and the elimination of the racist chop.
I proposed the Atlanta Rainbow, where every player can find a pot of gold. Or the Atlanta Dream, with a statue of MLK.
Last week- AA is the GM of the year.
This week- AA is the worst MLB GM.
I’m glad someone this comment section aren’t our GM…
@mannybeingmvp Well…i guess it’s better than the Wage-slaves or the Crackers. Or the Fire. Their colors are already red white and blue, so how bout Atlanta Americans.
No team will give him that much.
Why just 3 days ago, I thought the Yankees might look into Freeman. One posters response was LOL and how the Yankees would never. Well, now we know they have at least thought about it. Don’t count them out. He is a great player and fits that ballpark perfectly.
Window shopping is not the same as buying. NYY need SS, C, CF and to sign Judge long term, to add to Stanton, LeMahui, Cole, Chapman contracts. Plus they always need pitching. 1B is not a position they are paying Seager money for.
Chipper Jones was an all-star in his age 39 and age 40 seasons…
Different pharmaceutical era.
That’s just a little defamatory.
@bhambrave It’s actually pretty funny.
Chipper’s last year was 2012. The Mitchell Report was in 2007 so…
he didn’t take steroids because of the whole microchip thing
Chipper was a 1st ballot HOF player. Freddie is not.
In fact Freddie will have to age extremely well for a 1Bman to have a shot at the Hall. Even a 4, 4, 3, 2, 2 WAR decline won’t get it done—particularly if he doesn’t have the “lifelong Brave” sobriquet attached to him.
You can’t be serious, Jack. He’s a former ROY, 3x Silver Slugger, 5x AS and MVP. He’s now won a WS. You don’t think he gets in the HoF? Lol. He’s going to get 2000 hits and most likely 400 HRS. It’s a slam dunk. First ballot, no… but he’ll get in.
I’m not anti-analytics, but WAR ain’t everything.
Im sure the tigers are fine with cabrera contract with him going for 3k hits next year ajd maybe just maybe a chance at a playoff spot of they add a correa and 1 more starter and bullpen help
The Mets really should play in Brooklyn.
I remember when he was the Blue Jays’ GM, Anthopolous had a rule about not going beyond 5 years on contracts. It looks like he hasn’t changed his mind on that. He’s going to screw around and end up letting Freeman put on pinstripes.
Wasn’t that a pitcher rule?
No all players he has had that view for a long time now
Thankfully he has improved as a gm tremendously since his Toronto days
I don’t think so. If my memory serves, his rule was never to sign anyone longer than 5 years. Hopefully, he’ll make an exception for the cornerstone player of the Braves’ franchise.
Hopefully, the Franchise player will come to terms with the 5 year contract reality. Accept the QO, and then sign the 5 year as an extension. If the Franchise player chooses to walk over this, was he really the Franchise player? Bumgarner left SF, and the competed this year. LAD looks like Kershaw may be gone. Its the new reality.
Wasn’t that more Beeston than AA?
hopefully yankee and not padre
Ronald Acuna Jr and Ozzie Albies would like a word …
An “overpay” for Freeman is fine after the absolute steal they got in locking Albies and Acuna up long-term on team-friendly contracts that are only going to look better with age.
Is that how you run your finances?
“Say, I just got a great deal on this 2016 Tesla Sport. Time to blow all the savings on $30 a pint ice cream!
Chipper played the hot corner until he was 39. Pay Freeman through his age 39 season, call it a day…
Exactly. Freeman should be productive enough by the end of the deal. Nelson Cruz posted nearly 4 WAR in his aged 37 season, and Freeman should still be worth at least half that by that age. As the market evolves and contract values rise it won’t be a bad contract.
1. Re-sign Freddie
2. Re-sign Rosario
3. Trade for Mullins (Pache, Langeliers, whatever)
4. Sign a durable veteran SP
gonna take more than “Pache Shea and whatever” to get Mullins at his control level and with BAL wanting to compete soon.
I don’t think Mullins going to repeat that performance
If Duvall stays it makes little sense to have two guys in your 1-6 that are sub .300 obp guys. And Rosario is terrible defensively, I’d rather trade a big chunk of the farm for ketel marte.
Rosario is average defensively, not terrible. And you can live with 2 .300 obp guys when they’ll combine to hit 60+ homers.
It’s hard to have an over pay in this situation, 6 year for 200 is perfectly reasonable for his talent and the budget the Braves have (or at least as much as they should have based on how much us Braves show up and pay year after year). Offer him 6 years $175-190 and I bet he accepts it. That would be a steal also. You should pay him what he’s worth, which is 6 years 200
6 years, 32 million per year, he can have an opt out after the 4th and 5th years. Make it so. 192/6
Or if he prefers, five years at 34 million, no opt outs. 170/5
Chris Davis comparisons are the worst possible take on Freddie. There is NOTHING in common between an all-pull, strikeout leading, slugger with one good year and Freddie.
and to suggest that everyone is going to be the clear worst-case scenario…
It was known at the point the Davis contract was signed it was a very bad deal, one that had a high bust potential within the first year. Not the case with Freeman. Very different hitters. MLB teams get great deals, meaning under-market contracts, for young players. They recognize that. They realize older players cost more, and they factor in the decline years. It’s fans who don’t factor that in.
It’s all about winning. Fans just don’t have the connection with certain players like they used to; can’t even imagine, in my day, Kaline or Yaz playing somewhere else.
But Willie did, and he’s somewhat higher on the pecking order than Freddie. I’d love to see him stay just from an out-of-town fan’s appreciation, but if they keep him and lose, then AA is a bum. Lose him and repeat? Braves fans will be saying “Freddie WHO?”.
That’s not true. My favorite player walks out the door over 1 year on a contract and I’m not going to be especially happy, nor will all be forgotten that easily.
Freeman stuck by this franchise when they stunk. It’s a bad look for the team if they don’t show some loyalty to him.
Stuck by them? He had a contract. They could have traded him, but the team chose to stick by him. You have things backward. FF did not have a choice until now. Lets see if he does choose to stick by them.
Did he gripe when they were awful?
Did he ask to be traded when Nick Markakis and Adonis Garcia were his protection in the order?
Did he ever give half an effort when they were bad?
Nope. Tell me again how I have it backwards.
Funny, how you don’t hold that against the player. Where’s the “how greedy do you have to be to walk over a year when they stood by you, risking a fortune on an 8 year deal already??”
Just give him the sixth year already
Just accept the generational money offered on the Five year already!
Freeman (hard to type that without thinking of the irony) will sign for 5/$150m. would be a good deal for both parties
No way he signs that. He’d have his pick of a half dozen teams offering more than that.
what six teams? Braves haven’t offered it
Who in their right mind pays a 39 yr old 1b over $30m???
You do know Freeman just ended his year 31 season right? 6 years only puts him at 37 not 39>
I would go 6/160 front loaded……….take it or leave it.
I see how the Atlanta fans are saying SIGN THE GUY at nearly any cost and in real life, the franchise almost has to do so.. But odds are that he will not be earning the money he will be making by the third year. This contract will likely be seen as an albatross before too long.
Love them as they do now, I hope Braves fans do not get too down on him when he is hobbling around from some lingering injury hitting .247 with little power in the final year of his contract making like $30m a year.
Bad take but okay feel that way. Freeman’s swing isn’t one that will deteriorate over time like most 1b men who usually are power or nothing guys.
Like Pujols?
Pujols was coming off of his statically worst season when that contract was signed. The Cardinals saw the decline coming in a hurry as most people did even at that time. Tell me how much decline Freeman had last year?
I’ll take .247.
the end of every long term deal is ugly. if year 6 is the only year he is overpaid the contract will be a massive success
And when years 4, 5, and 6 become progressively worse overpay as the 30M salaries keeps getting further underwater, but, younger braves need arb raises…..
Well…
I’m sure everyone who says ‘sign him at any cost, he’s earned it’ will open their checkbooks and send $10,000 each to the braves to help offset things and keep a winning team on the field…. no?
Well put. It’s remarkable how little grief Pujols got in Anaheim after getting fat. He was fat by 2016, wearing extremely carefully tailored uniforms, but you could still see the man was smuggling a fully dressed thanksgiving turkey in his gut.
seriously AA?
A slap in the face as a braves fan. AA is an a-hole.
It’s just negotiations. Why not wait and see how it turns out before calling one of the game’s best GMs an a-hole?
Horrible as a Mets fan to be in the same division as AA. As GM for the Mets he would have probably gotten them to the division title. It was there for the taking.
LOL
He literally JUST finished patching up a team with has beens and nobodies that won the WS without their best pitcher and player.
It’s wild how quickly things change.
Give him 5/yr $160 plus a vesting option year at $30M, or a team option year at $30M with a $15M buyout. He winds up with either 5/$175M or 6/$190M.
@bhambrave Except both are absurdly high for a 1Bman.
Or they could give 7/$190M to lower the AAV. If he can’t play toward the end, he might retire.
Yeah. Right.
Freeman wouldn’t walk away leaving money on the table. If he wasn’t after every last red cent the whole 6th year wouldn’t matter, knowing if he could perform the extra years would be there on another deal.
Would love to see Freddie wearing a Yankee uniform.
Winning a World Series with the Braves is one thing, winning one as a Yankee would cement his legacy. Perhaps even a plaque in monument park.
But six years, meng!!
Only one team should give him six years and that is the Braves.
Typical Yankeefan snob.
Don’t you have a racist chant to defend?
I don’t like the chant. It needs to go. And you’re still a snob.
Dont you have voters to steer away from their legal rights then?
You mean Freeman would turn the Yankees into a winner instead of being an also-ran with a bloated budget.
@Yankeeasswiper: Your ignorance never quits. There are no significant differences between New York’s law and Georgia’s (except the narrative). In some ways, Georgia’s is more generous.
and that’s a bad thing in your mind?!
You have faith in Manfred’s judgement? Seriously?
@bhambrave, I live in NY, and you are correct.
Go play on Twitter. This board isn’t for politics.
the fact that a moron understood the significance of the dictatorial and racist voting policy Georgia put into place should enlighten if the thickest head pillowsheet wearing Georgian.
Dude, are you being facetious? I live in Georgia, this law is in no way dictatorial, nor racist.
@bhambrave He’s nailing you, kid. Let it go.
@Yankeesniper
Be silent. Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth.
Why not offer him 5.5 years as a compromise ?
Yankee fan here. I fully support Freddy remaining a brave his whole career. Just give him the 6th year cheapos smh
Huh? They just got a brand new stadium, that they didn’t have to for? They just won the WS. They are 2nd in the league in attendance. And now they are crying poverty!! Pathetic. Freeman has brought in a lot of money for the Braves. No reason not to give a sixth year to him. His presence will bring in the cash.
They are a mid-market team (#15, I believe), they paid for most of the stadium and then gave it to the government. I agree they need to give him six years, but they aren’t one of the teams with sustained top revenues.
They have a multi billion dollar ownership, they can easily afford it
Think again…Cobb County taxpayers are paying a substantial portion of the stadiums funding. And Atlanta is, depending on who you look at, the 7th – 10th largest media market. Four of the markets above them share teams. So, they are not poverty stricken.
I lived in Cobb County, east Cobb actually, and while the county effectively helped issue the bonds, there was actually a new tax levied on hotels and rental cars that covered the payments. So, no, the county itself didn’t really pay much towards the stadium, the tax didn’t exist and it was approved solely to cover costs.
Now, as for the team being poverty stricken… well, you don’t understand who and how they’re owned, and why.
The team exists as a no money in or out subsidiary of liberty media. The braves don’t own any portion of a RSN carrying their games, and, they’re still saddled with remnants of a terrible time Warner era contract dating to the early mid 2000s.
This is also why development rights to the battery was important after Fulton county both rebuffed team efforts to gain rights around the old stadium, and, after the county breached its promises to the team regarding development opportunities in the desolate surroundings of turner field. It’s the way the braves can increase revenues outside mlb/ticket/merchandising/concessions sources to make up for the media rights.
So, poverty stricken? No, they’re better off than say the rays or pirates. But not as well off as they will be another half dozen years from now.
What are you babbling about? The Braves don’t make any money off other television contract? Hardly any teams own their media outlets. They have no competition for their product for 450 miles. 2nd highest attendance in the league. They are making money. They can afford that extra year for Freeman.
Giants74 – you, again, demonstrate not knowing what you’re talking about and/or a tenuous grasp of factual data and what it means.
Atlanta is not, in a level playing field, and has not, historically speaking, been a ‘top 2’ attendance team for the league. 2021 attendance totals were suppressed in many MLB cities due to covid restrictions. Georgia, being a forward thinking state, operated under fewer such restrictions limiting or preventing game attendance last season. It’s also a reason economic data was better for the state compared to so many others.
If you dig down you will see that braves attendance in 2021 tracked to similar levels as it does every year. In normal seasons that is good for around 11th-15th in the league. In 2021 there was a brief spike comparatively because other teams were playing in front of empty, or numerically restricted, capacities for many of their games.
And while you try to compare the braves to the largest media market teams for media revenue, most all of those top teams DO own a stake in their RSNs. Of the ones that don’t, they aren’t saddled with sweetheart deals that were not negotiated in an open/fair market. Rogers Communications being another notorious example, and the third egregious offender being the Angelos/MASN cheating the Nationals of what they’re owned. Again, you don’t seem to understand the braves local TV deals were not signed to market rates, it was an insider deal to an affiliated parent entity.
Lastly, the ownership structure of no money in – or out – with liberty media means that if revenue drops there’s no owner to appeal to give a cash infusion from. So what happened in 2021, or even 2024, has no, repeat NO bearing on the team being able to afford a sixth year to Freddie. Money from 2021 will be long spent before then.
Do some research before spouting off. It only makes you appear ignorant.
@giants
Since when is offering 30MM per crying poverty. SF let Bumgarner walk, and it turned out to be the right decision. Bet you called them cheap too!
if the braves don’t want to go 6, i’d like to remind freeman that (yankee) pinstripes are slimming and our right field wall is a mere 314 feet from home plate
Let him go. He’s 32. He’s exiting his prime. Let someone else pay 6 years. If you are going to offer a 6th year, have it be a team option or a mutual option.
He has spilled his guts out for that organization through good and bad, helped end their 26 year drought and imo he will age well. To let him walk would be a legit disgrace to that wonderful fan base they have
He’s been paid very well to do what he’s done, let’s not make him out to be a saint who worked for charity. It’s a business and there must be lines that you can’t cross in a negotiation.
If he said right now I want 10 years 300 million, how quickly would fans say, oh forget him! Greedy pig! It’s just all emotion and it changes quickly
I get that but he isn’t asking close to that so it’s a moot point
We don’t really know that
Great player but I don’t see 6 years being sensible. I can’t picture a 38-year old Freddie putting up numbers higher than a .245 average with 11 homers.
So give him 4/180 He can watch from the stands
38 would be a 7 year deal.
Freeman was born in Sept 12, 1989. He turned 32 in the 2021 campaign, with 52 days more baseball played after his birthday.
So to help with the math –
2022 season – age 33
2023 season – age 34
2034 season – age 35
2035 season – age 36
2036 season – age 37
2037 season – age 38
He would be wrapping up as a 39 year old if you went 7 years.
You need to check your math. Next year is his age 32 season and so on.
Really, a 6th year is a problem? I figured he was shooting for seven. They are probably trying to negotiate his AAV down in exchange for a 6th year, but this strategy could turn dangerous rapidly. Some team can step in right now and tell his agent they’ll pay Freeman a 6/180. That will force the Braves to counter. I still believe he’ll sign with the Braves, but they may end up paying a higher price.
What team needs a 1B as a Priority. Other than Atl, none. No other team is going to pay SS prices for him. Cubs got rid of Rizzo and replaced him with a 4A player and got better production. FF has no options and AA is aware of this.
Your paying for the offense the position is irrelevant. His production at the plate warrants the 30 mill. Doesn’t matter if its first base or SS. If you have the offensive production 30 mill is reasonable.
Atlanta wake up sign Freddy Freeman!! Sixth year, big deal give it to him! He belongs in a Brave’s uniform for his entire career.
On the other hand, as a Yankee fan if I could obtain any player on the free agency market or the trade market, it would be Freeman. Atlanta, every day that goes by increases the chances you lose The Atlanta Brave!!!
Just be aware, Mets fans also want to sign Freeman. Seriously. Half of them think it’s a good expenditure of 30m AAV.
The team needs 4 starting pitchers but the fans also want Baez, who fangraphs currently projects to be worse than Jeff McNeil.
He should take the deal. When he signed the original deal I remember everyone was calling it a gross overpay and questioned whether he should have been made the cornerstone player of the franchise. To be fair, he was not the player that he is today when he signed that deal. Nonetheless, it was considered an overpay by many at the time. Hence, he should negotiate in good faith this time around. And just to put his original deal into perspective…they gave Acuna an 100/8 years extension which is way less than the deal Freddie signed like 8 years ago….
I don’t know what that is but it’s not perspective. The Braves locked a young Acuna Jr. up for way below market because they showed him more money than he’s seen in his life. He took it because he was satisfied with it. Fair enough.
You can’t sit here and suggest because they gave Freddie more at the same age then that Freeman should eat it on the deal now. That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.
Yeah, except you’re looking at this from the perspective of a fan who assumes every free agent just wants money. Obviously Freddie’s perspective is closer to mine than yours, as indicated by the fact he still hasn’t even rejected the qualifying offer yet. And he should absolutely eat it now, and guess what? I guarantee you he will because he actually wants to stay there, hence why the conversation doesn’t even seem to be much about money and mostly about years at this point. I think the Yankees could offer him 300 million and I still don’t think he’d leave. The Braves negotiated his first deal in good faith, and I can assure you he most definitely remembers that.
It was considered a good deal at the time and an underpay. Oh, I don’t doubt some fans thought it was an overpay, but he was 23, and an All-Star coming off of a 5 WAR season. They bought out a few arbitration years and pushed some of the money several years out. As they did with Acuna and Albies, they want to pay under-market value for their young players. That’s fine if Freeman and others want to accept that, but there’s no reason the Braves shouldn’t negotiate in good faith with Freeman now a free agent. They got a fantastic deal first time. He’s the face of the franchise. Give him his 6th year. He’s likely still leaving money on the table.
Since when is not wanting to over pay for declining years a sign of not negotiating in good faith?
If he wants a 6th year, fine… make it a vesting option. If he performs he gets paid. If he doesn’t perform, he doesn’t.
If he wants the 6th year then give him the sixth year. As a Braves fan, they’ve built up a lot of goodwill with me this past season. The only way they wipe that away is by letting Freddie walk over one year on a contract. It’s not as if he’s asking for 10 years here.
This is a no Brainer give him what he wants. 6/180. That’s 30aav.
I am certainly an “entitled Yankee fan” or whatever. As such, I’m generally fairly ruthless when it comes to signing other team’s stars. Hey, if ya can’t beat ’em, buy ’em.
All that being acknowledged, I would actually feel kind of weird if the Yanks signed Freeman. Just seems like a Brave.
Sure would break up those righty bats though…& his defense would be welcome…& durable too…the short porch…MVP season…just led his team to a Championship…awww, man. Now I’m starting to talk myself into it. Look. Just get this one done Anthopolous.
I’m sure they’ll compromise. If AA is willing to go for five years, then surely they can come to a sixth year that benefits everyone.
He’s as solid as they come at the plate and in the field. Even with age related regression 6 years is a steal. It’s not like the Pujols or Cabrera deal.
Pujols and Cabrera are 2 of the best players in baseball history. They aged very poorly. We don’t know if Freddie will age well or nor. I don’t want to risk a 6th year unless it’s a low dollar amount or a mutual option.
Pujols and Cabrera are both fat and out of shape…that is why they are injury prone and aging badly.
Freddie Freeman looks like he could be on the cover of Men’s Health or
Muscle magazine.
JUST PAY THE MAN!
@j_butte Both Pujols and Miggy would have been lousy signings beginning at 32 even on 5 year deals.
The Braves will regret not getting this deal done during the year. They have to sign him for 6 years at least for 180 or more. You lose him and the team will not repeat. Freddie is the reason hitters ahead of him get pitches to hit.
Again, what 90% of this board ALWAYS FAILS to remember is Free agency is NOT about getting value!
Your going to always have your trolls Monday morning QB’n deals after the fact and saying ” we shoulda just signed player X at 1/3 the price”
You get your value from the farm, from development, from your scouts, your coaches and every once in awhile a timely trade….The free agent market is about paying sticker, its not some flea market to bargain hunt, when your teams ready to win it all like ATL you pay the sticker and move on happily. Theres NO secret sauce here
Thats not how this works, if your still stuck in this mode your not going to get it
This isn’t roto baseball
What we SHOULD have learned from last years free agency
CHARECTER matters! And FF has it in spades, and for everyone comparing him to failed 1b’s of the past you are just taking the easy road and don’t watch Freddy’s game which should age VERY WELL
They are just negotiating right now, he will be a Brave soon. Some real cringe worthy posts in this thread
Would love to see him at first base for the GIANTS !! He would own triples alley.
You mean his number of triples would soar 50% to, like, 3?
As soon as it’s well known sixth year is an issue ( if it really is an issue, always be wary of what’s printed ) the phone will be ringing like mad. Like “Hey Freddie it’s Arte. “ “ wanna play with Trout and Ohtani for seven years 250?
Didn’t you guys just get out of an overpaid 1B contract?
I don’t see any issue with giving him a long term deal. He’s not comparable to Chris Davis. Davis was always a three outcome hitter who in his 4 year prime hit .256/.342/.533. Yes, the power was nice, but a .342 OBP is not a very encouraging sign when it comes to longevity.
Freeman is a first baseman with a career K% of 19.2% and a career .393 OBP. He hits to all sides of the field evenly and also has a relatively even distribution of flyballs groundballs and line drives. He doesn’t rely on power to make things happen. Even when he declines, his offensive skillset makes him more likely to decline into an average player as opposed to an automatic out like most of the first basemen who have been given lengthy contracts.
I’d say the most comparable player in terms of first basemen who landed monster contracts is Miggy and this contract would lock him up for two fewer years (Miggy’s under guaranteed contract through age 40). On top of that, Miggy has always been a primarily up the middle hitter.
Between that and everything that he’s meant to the city and the franchise, there’s no reason he shouldn’t be paid. What’s a few years of a bad contract for one of the best players in franchise history.
@_Mob_Ranfred Er, yes. All that is why 5/135m and more is even in the cards. It’s not the justification for 6/180m. He’s not quite a Goldschmidt-caliber player as of age 31.
I’ll never understand people getting mad about a player trying to get the biggest contract possible. This is America, baby! Take ’em for as much as you can because they’re damn sure trying to do the same to you lol
Would the Braves be worse if they signed Belt for way less and could fill other holes and the Giants signed Freeman for what he wants? Neither will happen, just asking…
They would not be noticeably worse, unless Braves players sulked. Farhan Zaidi, though, is far too smart to spend 6/180m on a 32-37 yo 1Bman.
Pay him already! Give him the 6th year. He is an icon! Cmon! How many teams today have one. (Nice singing of Pina) he will always be one of my favorite players.
AA…Pay the man
CHEAP
If the Braves won’t pay Freeman the Pirates will . . . LOL!
Pay the man!
I’m tired of worrying about it. I’m afraid of giving a 32 year old 1B more than 5 guaranteed years. He’s been awesome but 5/150 with a 6th year option should be the top offer from AA. Or 6/160 frontloaded. That’s very generous. I think the reported 5/135 offer was fair for a player his age. After the recent contract busts, I don’t see teams signing the 30+ year old slugging 1B/DH types to super long contracts. I trust AA on this one.
You guys should trust AA implicitly at this point. During the season he made the Mets Sandy Alderson look like dog cheese.
The biggest difference between Freeman and Cabrera/Pujols is that those were mega deals at the time. Because of inflation, their higher length, and the age of the player when the contracts ended, this is apples and oranges. Those deals were pretty much unprecedented when they signed. 6/180 is expensive but it’s not going to shock anyone to wrap up an all star hometown favorite for 30 mil per year until he’s 38.
IF only Freddie was in Cabrera / Pujols’ zip code as a player—then you’d have a point.
Just PAY THE MAN!
Without Freeman, the Braves do not even win the Division, much less the World Series!
Freddy would look great in a Red Sox uni.
Who here doesn’t understand that Freddie isn’t quite the player Paul Goldschmidt was through age 31?
Goldschmidt got a 5/130m deal from the Cardinals for his age 32-36 seasons. Please explain why Freddie is worth $50m more than the better player.
6 years 190 million! Mark my words.
Remember Albert Pujols? He rejected the Cardinals offer and everyone thought St Louis was nuts for letting their face of the franchise go. Compare his stats with the Angels to what he did in St Louis. Now it looks like a good deal and saved the Cards money to spend on other parts. I am a big Freddie fan, but think about having that much money tied to one player. You’ll have to pinch players later on who can get you back to the WS.
Plan A:
– Re-sign Freddie Freeman
Plan B:
– Trade for Matt Olson (Georgia Boy!)
If the Soler, Pederson, Rosario contingent cannot be retained, I would like to see Mark Canha in Atlanta. He is versatile enough to step into all three OF spots and has been an underrated bat and teammate for years in Oakland.
It’s easy. Give him the pen and let him sign.