Last week I dug in on the Yankees’ first base possibilities and pretty much dismissed Freddie Freeman.
I have not really come off of that. I still believe that he will re-sign with the Braves. Freeman is the face of the franchise, an elite player and was central to the organization winning its first title in a quarter of a century. The reaction in Atlanta would be far worse if the Braves let Freeman go than, for example, the reaction in New York if a year from now the Yankees let Aaron Judge leave.
But once a player gets to free agency — where Freeman is now — it opens a door, even, as in this case, ever so slightly. Egos can be hurt, hostility can surface, a suitor or two can whisper sweet dollar levels in your ears. Literally, Freeman can sign anywhere beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Publicly, Freeman has made it clear he does not want to leave his career-long team, and Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is on record as saying he believes the sides will work out a long-term deal. On the field, about 45 minutes after the World Series concluded, Braves chairman Terry McGuirk said, “I love him. We are not going to talk about that tonight.”