Fresh off of a World Series title, the Atlanta Braves' number one priority is keeping star first baseman Freddie Freeman. A five-time All-Star and the National League's 2020 MVP, Freeman has been critical to the Braves' success over the years.
MLB Network's Jon Heyman has been of the belief that a reunion between the two sides is inevitable. However, there's currently one roadblock in the contract negotiations between the Braves and Freddie Freeman. He wants six years, yet Atlanta have reportedly only offered five at this point.
Latest on contract talks between #Braves and Freddie Freemanhttps://t.co/vEmoYvMmci pic.twitter.com/LxTLnCwORR
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) November 17, 2021
Hmm. So the Braves basically offered a replica of the contract that the St. Louis Cardinals offered to fellow first baseman Paul Goldschmidt ahead of the 2019 season, which Freeman turned down. Freeman, 32, is on a Hall of Fame trajectory, as evidenced by his career .295/.384/.509 slash-line with 271 homers across 12 seasons.
As the face of the franchise, Freeman deserves a payday- and the Braves owe it to him to agree to his request for a sixth year, especially with his teammates having already expressed their support for his re-signing. The longer the club waits, the more time other bigger-market teams have to check in on the status of Freeman.
This process is more drawn-out than the Braves and their fans would like, but the end result is still likely to be Freddie Freeman in an Atlanta Braves uniform once the 2022 MLB season begins.
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