It took until the very end of the offseason but with Spring Training games slated to start on Thursday, Freddie Freeman has officially signed a multi-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The deal is reportedly worth $162 million over the course of 6 years, per Bob Nightengale.

Freeman had been linked to LA since the beginning of the offseason but the Dodgers faced plenty of competition in their pursuit of the former MVP. The MLB lockout certainly did not help matters either. But in the end the Dodgers prevailed and signed the man who helped defeat them in the NLCS a season ago.

The Dodgers already feature arguably the best overall roster in baseball. But they fell short in the postseason last year against Freeman and the Braves, so adding him should provide LA with an excellent opportunity to make it out of the NL and into the World Series in 2022.

Freeman enjoyed an All-Star caliber season during the Braves magical 2021 campaign. The 2020 MVP smashed 31 home runs while hitting over .300. He also came up clutch when it mattered most, hitting .318 to go along with a pair of home runs and five RBI's in the Braves World Series victory against the Astros. He will be 33 in September but there is no question that Freeman has plenty of juice left in the tank.

The Dodgers will continue to be a force in the NL with Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Walker Buehler, and Freddie Freeman leading the charge.