Freddie Freeman has long been open about wanting to spend his entire career as a member of the Atlanta Braves, but when he entered free agency this past offseason, that outlook had to change.
The Braves and Freeman didn’t come to terms on a new contract before the organization replaced him by trading for Matt Olson, which led to Freeman signing a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Freeman was emotional during his time back at Truist Park as a visiting player, and after the series it was reported he fired agent Casey Close and Excel Sports Management.
Doug Gottlieb of Fox Sports Radio reported Freeman fired his agent because Close never told him about the final contract offer the Braves made. Gottlieb alleged Close knew Freeman would have accepted the Braves’. He further went on to say Freeman found out about this while in Atlanta over the weekend.
However, Excel Sports Management released a statement on behalf of Close to deny Gottlieb’s claims.
“Doug Gottlieb tweeted a wholly inaccurate characterization of our negotiations with the Atlanta Braves on behalf of Freddie Freeman,” the statement said. “We are immediately evaluating all legal options to address the reckless publication of inaccurate information.”
Freeman declined to comment on Gottlieb’s claims.
Prior to Freeman signing in L.A., it was reported the Braves never made a formal offer and he was growing impatient with their lack of discussions. During his introductory press conference with the Dodgers, Freeman added he only heard from the Braves twice all offseason.
“The communication wasn’t all there in the offseason. I got two phone calls all offseason; I got more from Andrew to my agents in a matter of a couple hours. I didn’t know what was going on,” Freeman said in March.
“I got one call the day before the lockout, of checking in. And I got one call when the lockout was lifted, just checking in. So I don’t know how to interpret that, but that’s just the reality of what was going on.
“So when the Dodgers and other teams expressed interest and wanted to communicate and wanted to get me, that was huge for me. Once the lockout lifted and my agents and Andrew connected, things just started moving quicker.”
After the Dodgers series with Atlanta that saw the 32-year-old finally receive his 2021 World Series ring, Freeman stated his hopes to just move on and focus on baseball again.
Clayton Kershaw and Freeman discussed ‘second fiddle’ remark
Freeman had to fight back tears on nearly every occasion he was in the spotlight at Truist Park, and the series left him exhausted from all the emotion.
Clayton Kershaw expressed his understanding given Freeman’s career with the Braves but went on to say he hopes the Dodgers aren’t ‘second fiddle’ in terms of commitment.
The comments from Kershaw could reflect how some players in the Dodgers clubhouse are feeling, but he wanted to reiterate to Freeman that his statement wasn’t meant to be a jab as the two had a conversation regarding the matter.
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