The Atlanta Braves were seemingly unwilling to re-sign longtime first baseman Freddie Freeman, with their rumored trade interest in Oakland Athletics All-Star Matt Olson indicating that perhaps a reunion between the two parties may not be in the cards. Monday officially confirmed that fact. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the Braves and Athletics are in agreement on a trade that will send Olson to the Braves.
BREAKING: Atlanta and Oakland are in agreement on a trade that will send star first baseman Matt Olson to the Braves, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2022
The Braves get their first baseman in Olson, though his arrival in Atlanta will officially usher in the end of an era with Freddie Freeman, who spent all 12 seasons of his career with the club. Per Passan, the Athletics will receive outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers, starting pitcher Ryan Cusick, and starting pitcher Joey Estes in the deal.
It's a huge haul for Oakland, who netted each of Atlanta's two top prospects, as well as another member of their farm system's top-10, as noted by MLB.com. Such is the price the Braves had to pay for the services of Olson- who is coming off of a career year- after they inexplicably failed to agree to terms on a new deal with Freeman.
Olson, 27, posted a .911 OPS with 39 homers in 2021. He seems to be a slugger coming into his own, which is good news for the Braves as they attempt to fill the potential crater left behind by Freeman.
Freeman's market figures to intensify in the coming days following this blockbuster Braves-Athletics, Olson trade. It will be interesting to see where the 2020 MVP lands.
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