Freddie Freeman, formerly of the Atlanta Braves, has spoken out quite unfavorably about his former team. MSN reported that in a response to the first baseman, the general manager of the Atlanta Braves, Alex Anthopoulos, said, "That’s not the Freddie that we know."
Freeman and Alex Anthopoulos's relationship goes back a long while. The latter is Canadian and was the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays for many years, while both of the former's parents come from that city.
"Freddie Freeman making it clear that the Braves made little to no effort to try to keep him. DAMN. 'The communication wasn't all there in the offseason. I got two phone calls all offseason. I got more from Andrew [Friedman] to my agent in the matter of a couple hours.'" - @ Doug McKain
Freeman was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2007 but did not suit up for them until 2010. During his 12-year stint in Atlanta, Freddie Freeman hit 271 home runs and batted in almost 1,000 runs.
Freeman's accolades are long. He is a five-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger, a league MVP, and a World Series champion.
This spring is the first time in his pro career that he has hit the field in a uniform that does not belong to the Atlanta Braves.
Atlanta Braves chose Matt Olson over Freddie Freeman
At the end of the 2021 season, Freeman was a free agent. Although he was expected to stay with the Atlanta Braves and agree to another lucrative contract, Anthopoulos signed fellow first baseman Matt Olson to an eight-year deal with $33 million more than the contract Freeman signed in 2014.
Freeman felt slighted and undervalued by the Braves organization. Everyone knew that his time with the Braves had come to and end.
"To summarize - Freddie Freeman wanted to stay in Atlanta, tried to play the Braves by hitting free agency, thought they'd still sign him, Anthopoulos called his bluff and signed the only first baseman in the world who's better than Freddie for more money than he offered Freddie." - @ Josh Brown
The impasse between Freeman and his general manager is particularly sour as it comes on the heels of the Braves' World Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, a series in which Freeman had two homeruns and five RBI in only six games.
Regardless of what is made of this departure for Freddie Freeman, he has found a new home with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now that he is playing in his own backyard, Freeman will hope to continue the proven success he has had both in the batters box and at home plate and will continue to put on a show for fans night after night.