While not yet official, the book on Freddie Freeman’s Braves tenure effectively was closed Monday afternoon.
Atlanta solidified its first base situation and then some by landing Matt Olson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics, as first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan and later confirmed by the team. The reigning World Series champions sent quite a haul to the Bay Area in order to acquire the two-time Gold Glove winner, giving up prospects Cristian Pache, Shea Langeliers, Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes.
The blockbuster trade all but surely indicates the Braves will not re-sign Freeman, who remains a free agent a little over four months after helping Atlanta win the Fall Classic in his 12th season with the organization. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on Friday reported the Los Angeles Dodgers were making a “strong push” to sign the five-time All-Star. The Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees also were rumored to have interest in Freeman.
Olson, who turns 28 on March 29 and is five years Freeman’s junior, is coming off an All-Star campaign in which he set career highs for a season in home runs (39), RBIs (111), batting average (.271) and total hits (153). The 2012 first-round pick finished eighth in the American League MVP voting.
The A’s, who are coming off an 86-win season, received considerable boosts to their farm system. Pache, an outfielder, and Langeliers, a catcher, were widely regarded as the Braves’ top two prospects entering the 2022 campaign. Cusick, meanwhile, is the highest-rated right-handed pitcher on Atlanta’s official prospect power ranking.
The Braves currently have the seventh-shortest odds (12-to-1) at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the 2022 World Series.
