Longtime Braves star Freddie Freeman may win the NL MVP this year, but the first baseman isn’t signed beyond next season. As a result, the World Series-contending Braves will soon have to decide how far they’ll go to keep him in the fold. There’s mutual interest in a new deal, though, Freeman revealed Monday (via David O’Brien of The Athletic).
Freeman, whose eight-year, $135MM extension is nearing an end, said that he’d “love to stay” in Atlanta, and he believes general manager Alex Anthopoulos is aware of that. “We’ll see how it goes. But this team is built to win for a long time and I know that. It’s going to be a good ride. Hopefully I can be a part of it,” Freeman added.
A 2007 second-round pick, Freeman has turned into one of the most accomplished players in Braves history. The 31-year-old is a four-time All-Star who has slashed .295/.383/.509 with 240 home runs and 38 fWAR over 5,965 plate appearances. He turned in a career-best .341/.462/.640 line with 13 HRs and an NL-leading 3.4 fWAR across 262 PA in 2020 en route to what could be an MVP-winning season.
Regardless of whether Freeman takes home hardware in the coming months, he looks as if he’s in line for a second contract worth at least $100MM. Speculatively, Freeman could push for a similar pact to the five-year, $130MM extension Paul Goldschmidt signed with the Cardinals before 2019.