Would the Atlanta Braves dare trade Freddie Freeman?
It’s safe to say nothing has come easy for the Atlanta Braves so far in the 2021 season.
We are a few games past the halfway point, and the Atlanta Braves still sit below the .500 mark and in fourth place in the NL East at the time of this article being written.
With the passing of every day and every game, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to fade away little by little and the thought of returning back to the playoffs seems to dim more and more.
So the question must be asked, will the Atlanta Braves dare even entertain the idea of potentially shopping Freddie Freeman or even perhaps pulling the trigger on a deal?
No doubt about it, Freddie has been the epitome of everything the Atlanta Braves could want in the team’s superstar for the past decade. He picked up Chipper’s baton and ran with it better than anyone else could. Hell, the Atlanta community has even come to love any highlight including his first-born son Charlie.
Pain would be an understatement if something like this were to happen, but as we have heard throughout time, baseball is a sport, and sports are a business. The Braves would only be doing business right if they at worst answered the phone and listened to what numerous teams would offer for the reigning NL MVP. Obviously, the front office phones would be ringing off the hook if Freddie were truly available, which he might be as far as we know?
As anyone who has kept up or watched this 2021 Braves team knows, this team has a lot of holes, rather it be the bullpen or the backend of the lineup.
Is all hope and the playoffs gone? No, but as this stretch of games has shown us, the Braves have not been able to win when it mattered most and one glance at the stretch of games after the All-Star break will show, it is not gonna get any easier.
Unless the Braves turn it around quickly, there is a real possibility they will be sellers at the end of this month.
As is the case with most sellers, any pending free agent is certainly up for talks, and as we know, Freddie is slated to become a free agent at season’s end (how we got this far is a whole other issue).
So with all that being said, what teams make the most sense?
Braves Potential Suitors for Freeman
Every club in the game would love to have Freeman on their roster — that much we know.
However, only a few make sense here at the moment.
Money is always an issue especially with a couple of these teams on the list, but hey, it can always be worked around as well. Let’s take a look at a couple of the teams who could be serious in their pursuit of our star first baseman.
San Francisco Giants
Sure the Giants have Brandon Belt, but Freddie is an upgrade just like he would be an upgrade over every first baseman in the game. The Giants have surprised and stayed right in the thick of the race so far and adding Freeman to that lineup could make them serious contenders as long as the pitching holds up.
The Giants farm system has improved over the last couple of years so a couple of their top 8 prospects could pique the Braves’ interest.
Boston Red Sox
The Red Sox have arguably the best left side of the infield. Adding Freeman to the right side would give them arguably the best infield in the game and one of the few favorites — especially if Sale comes back healthy.
Prospects like Groome and Jeter Downs would surely catch the eyes of the Atlanta Braves.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brewers have already made a relatively small upgrade at first by acquiring Tellez. The Brewers are probably the biggest lock at this point to make the playoffs in the NL and adding Freeman would make them viably the closest team to the Dodgers.
Adding Freeman to that young, hard-throwing staff would make for a good recipe in October.
Cleveland Indians
Of the six teams we are going to mention, this is probably the longest shot of them all for a couple of reasons. Not the best farm system, being barely over .500, and as we all are aware, the Indians have not spent a lot lately.
However, if they felt they could compete, Nolan Jones would be a good piece to go after. If the Indians want to go for it, they could theoretically be in the running for Freeman.
New York Yankees
I can feel your eyes rolling from across the computer screen at this one. The mere thought of Freddie in pinstripes is agonizing and ugly. Again though, baseball is a business, and if the Yankees present the best offer, the Braves have to take it.
Much like the Braves though, are the Yankees going to be buyers come the end of this month? Also, would a player like Miguel Andujar (plus more) be enticing for the Braves to move Freddie?
San Diego Padres
The biggest obstacle here is the Padres would have to move Eric Hosmer. I do not see any way the Atlanta Braves would want him as even a small part of the return. This is the kind of deal we have come to expect from the Padres though, and quite frankly it would make them the favorite in my eyes.
All the additions over the years have taken a toll on the farm system for the Padres, but they still have some talent. No, we won’t be getting Abrams or Gore, but a couple of the prospects below them would be suitable.
What is the Braves End Game
The bottom line is a deal is extremely unlikely. And I for no reason want Freddie to be moved. I want Freddie here for a long time to come still.
And even if the Braves wanted to move him, they’d need Freddie’s permission with his 10/5 rights. They can’t trade him without Freddie’s consent, which maybe he wants out at this point.
I am convinced both the Atlanta Braves and Freddie Freeman have an understanding of what is going to happen whether that’s good or bad? Without a doubt, they have had a talk even if it was 8 months ago.
Something that could happen though is something we have seen over the years with the latest example being what the New York Yankees and Aroldis Chapman. That, of course, is dealing the player at the deadline to go chase a ring with the understanding that they get to at least play a role in the upcoming free agency of the player.
It could truly be a win-win for both the player and club if they had a handshake agreement before any deal is made.
But obviously, that is still a very dark game to play with. Let’s say Freddie gets moved to the west coast and loves being back home and said team offers him a very lucrative deal. He may spurn the Atlanta Braves — and who could honestly blame him?
The only logical outcome here that is going to make sense for the Atlanta Braves and all the team’s fans, is he stays on and signs a contract for multiple years quickly in the offseason.
Will it happen? I do not know, but I hope so. Again, for it to have even got to this point or this close to this outcome is semi-ridiculous.
dark. Next. If we do buy though...
In closing though, the Atlanta Braves — barring a quick turnaround — should do their due diligence and at least field offers for the best first baseman in the game.