Cody Rogers
ESPN reporter Jeff Passan tweeted at 6:27 p.m. on March 10 that the MLB lockout was officially over, and from 6:28 p.m. After that, I spent an amount of time that I’d rather not admit in writing picking up my phone, clicking on the bright blue bird icon, scrolling for a minute or two, and then stuffing my phone back into my pocket when I didn’t see the update I wanted. I’d repeat that process countless times every hour until the next Monday afternoon.
The “Freddie Freeman officially re-signs with the Braves” news I had been waiting over a year for sadly never broke.
I remember watching the then awkward looking 20-year-old rookie make his debut late in the 2010 season across the baseball diamond from my then favorite player, Chipper Jones.
When Chipper Jones helped the Braves win the World Series in his rookie season in 1995, I had more important things to worry about, like if my diaper was clean or not, or if my bottle needed to be filled. Other than my grandpa, the legendary third baseman is the main reason that I loved baseball as much as I did as a child, and that love has never faded.
With Freddie though, I’ve been tuned in to his entire career. I watched that awkward 20 year old transform into the new face of the Braves franchise. He signed an incredibly team friendly deal in 2013, and then when the team began a mass rebuilding effort, trading away every half decent ball player other than him a year later, he never once said a single ill word about the team.
My love of baseball and the Braves had transformed into an obsession at that point. That’s the only reasoning I can think of for willingly watching a baseball team that had no intention of trying to win games. Freeman was the lone bright spot for three laughable, 90-loss seasons.
The Braves reestablished themselves as a winning team in 2018 with Freddie as the cornerstone. I watched Freddie lead the team to the postseason then, and then again in 2019, and then again in 2020 with an MVP season, and then I watched him catch the final out of the World Series in 2021.
During all those amazing seasons he had though, he watched players like Nolan Arenado and Bryce Harper sign deals for well over twice as much as what he was making, and now it was his turn.
Sadly, the “baseball is a business” phrase that I hate so much is true. Freeman asked for more money and for more years than the Braves were willing to give to an aging 32-year-old player.
The Braves ended Freeman’s time in Atlanta by trading for his replacement and giving him the long-term commitment that Freddie wanted. Freeman said in a press conference earlier this week that he “was crushed” when he found out, and so was I.
It’s understandable why they did what they did. The guy they traded for – Matt Olson – is four years younger than Freeman, was just as good as Freeman was last year and signed for less money per year than Freeman wanted.
Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t some “I’m done with this team” column. I’m writing this as my phone is propped up on my computer, broadcasting the Braves playing a spring training game. Freeman is certainly not the first player I love to leave the team and he won’t be the last, but his departure has far and away hurt the most.
Cody Rogers is a staff writer for The Northeast Georgian. Email him at crogers@thenortheastgeorgian.com