After days of a free agency rollercoaster ride featuring the Blue Jays, Padres, Red Sox, and Rays, Freddie Freeman inked a six-year, $162 million dollar deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the late hours of March 16th.
Freeman was born in Fountain Valley, CA, but spent the first 12 years of his career with the Atlanta Braves. Since being picked in the second round of the 2007 draft, Freeman has accumulated a career .295/.384/.509 slash line with 271 home runs and 941 RBI, serving as a dependable force in the Braves’ lineup. Freeman also earned five All-Star selections and a Most Valuable Player award in 2020. To say Freeman established himself as a star in Atlanta would be an understatement.
Now Freeman takes his talents to his home state, where he will join the Los Angles Dodgers in their pursuit to win another World Series championship. Freeman joins the team that his former Braves knocked out of the 2021 NLCS, but the Dodgers’ lineup will be happy to welcome him. With his stellar ability to make contact and draw walks, Freeman will serve as protection and support for the likes of Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Max Muncy, and Cody Bellinger. These strong bats surrounding him will also help Freeman’s counting stats and provide more opportunities to see pitches in the zone.
Freeman will serve as a powerful addition to the league’s fifth-best offense and will also benefit from the implementation of the universal designated hitter. Though he will most likely serve as the primary first basemen for the Los Angeles Dodgers, he can slide into the DH slot, knowing that players such as Muncy or Bellinger can hold down first base while he focuses on batting.
Further, Freeman is destined to be surrounded by a strong lineup that features a rotating cast of Will Smith, AJ Pollock, Chris Taylor, Gavin Lux, and Justin Turner with the addition of the DH. The Dodgers are built on depth and will almost always feature a powerful array of talented bats. Freeman will help transform this already dangerous offense into a lethal one, with potent bats batting in front of and behind him.
After establishing himself as the face of the Atlanta Braves franchise, Freeman embarks on the next chapter of his remarkable career in Chavez Ravine. With a deadly supporting cast and eyes on another World Series ring, Freeman’s stardom should only continue to grow.
Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)