The Dodgers land the longtime Atlanta Braves first baseman, adding a fourth former league MVP winner to their roster.
First, you beat ’em. Then you join ’em.
After the Braves’ championship last fall, the 32-year-old Freeman seemed like a good bet to return to Atlanta where he had been the face of the franchise for years. But the Braves were slow to move on a contract extension and hesitant to offer the six years Freeman was seeking. The lockout put negotiations on hold and increased speculation about Freeman’s disenchantment with the franchise’s approach.
The National League MVP in 2020, Freeman has finished in the top 10 in that voting five other times including last season when he hit .300 with 31 home runs, 83 RBIs, 120 runs and an .896 OPS. A three-time Silver Slugger winner, five-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2018, Freeman has hit at least .300 five times in the past six seasons, has hit at least 30 home runs three times and driven in at least 80 runs six times.
Muncy, a left-handed hitting first baseman, can move to second base or serve as the designated hitter, which becomes permanent in the NL this season.after sustaining an elbow injury in a collision at first on the last day of the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts has said Muncy should be available for Opening Day on April 8, but he’s unsure whether Muncy will be ready to start at first.
Since then, Freeman had been a stalwart in the Braves’ lineup, even as the perennial playoff contender went through a painful rebuilding job after winning the NL East title in 2013. Atlanta won a postseason series for the first time since 2001 that year – two of them, in fact – before squandering a 3-1 series lead and losing to the Dodgers in the NLCS in Arlington, Texas.