Freddie Freeman just completed his villain arc with Braves fans

As Freddie Freeman has gone off with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the 2024 World Series, Braves fans are constantly reminded of how the once-beloved franchise icon spurred the team, only to wind up with a hated rival.

After spending much of the playoffs hobbled by a sprained ankle, Freeman's historic hot streak turnaround during the Fall Classic has completed his villain arc with Braves fans.

Why Freddie Freeman should now be considered a Braves villain

Before the World Series, it could be argued that Freeman's insistence on playing through a severely sprained ankle was actually hurting the Dodgers. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Dodgers first baseman was only hitting .219 with no extra-base hits.

For Braves fans, it seemed like the same old postseason Freeman they had grown accustomed to. When it looked like the Padres might send the Dodgers into another early elimination, it was easy to take solace in the fact that, once again, Freeman would not earn another World Series ring without the Braves.

Then the World Series started. After finishing Game 1 with what might go down as one of the most iconic homers in World Series history, the Dodgers star first baseman can't stop homering. With his Game 4 homer, he's now hit homers in six straight World Series games going back to Game 5 of the 2021 Fall Classic.

As a baseball fan, it's easy to find yourself rooting for the slugger. However, on the cusp of immortality with the Dodgers, the former Braves legend should now be considered a villain.

Let's look back at how the 35-year-old Canadian-American wound up with a Braves rival in the first place.

It has been easy to blame Alex Anthopoulos for Freeman no longer manning first base. After all, the Braves General Manager green lit a trade for Matt Olson while Freddie was still on the free agent market.

However, Atlanta had a five-year offer on the table that would've netted Freeman more than what Paul Goldschmidt had received a few years earlier and made him the highest-paid first baseman in baseball. According to ESPN, the club even upped their offer to $140 after the lockout ended.

Freeman's camp insisted on a six-year deal, and his agent allegedly gave Anthopoulos an ultimatum of six years and $175 million or five years and $165 million. Freeman's then-agent, Casey Close, disputed this ultimatum.

Anthopoloulos, knowing that this could handicap the Braves from making other deals (like the extensions with Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II they made the following season), decided to make the trade for Olson.

This ultimatum was far more than Freeman received from the Dodgers. In fact, with the deferrals Freeman took and California state taxes, his six-year, $162 million deal would actually be valued roughly the same dollar figure as the final offer the Braves would give the then 32-year-old.

Simply put, had Freeman taken the Braves' last offer, or had they been more willing to negotiate with the club, Freeman would have made the same (or more) from the team he wanted to stay with.

Instead, he trusted his agent, saw his market bottom out when it turned out there wasn't another team interested in him except the Dodgers, and signed a worse deal.

From the start, this has been a messy divorce. When Freeman returned to Atlanta for the first time in 2022, there were many tears from both sides. Shortly after, Freddie let go of his agent.

A few things are clear, regardless of exactly how the negotiations went down. If Freeman truly wanted to remain with the Braves, he would have stayed with the Braves. Atlanta Braves lifer Chipper Jones said that he advised Freeman to take the reigns of his negotiations if he genuinely wanted to stay with the Braves for life. Freeman did not heed Jones's advice.

"I do not agree with the way that this was handled on Freddie's side. If you want to play in Atlanta, you play in Atlanta," Jones told 680 The Fan shortly after the deal with the Dodgers was made.

Freeman's 2024 is a feel-good story for baseball. After struggling with injuries and a serious illness with one of his sons, it is heartwarming to see him succeed in the playoffs.

But for Braves fans, it's time to remember that Freeman declined multiple extension offers, wound up on a rival team for the same money, and now is one game away from a championship for said rival team.

That's how you complete a villain arc.

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