Atlanta Braves extension candidate No. 1: Freddie Freeman
Freddie Freeman is the main reason why the Atlanta Braves turned the corner the way they did.
Almost seven years ago, Freddie Freeman signed an eight-year, $135 million contract with Atlanta. This was a fantastic move by the Braves and it locked up one of the faces of their franchise.
Since he debuted in 2010, Freeman is a four-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and has won both a Gold Glove and the 2020 NL MVP award
Freeman, 31, has been one of the most consistent players not just for Atlanta, but in all of baseball. He is arguably the best first baseman in baseball. He hits for contact, having a .295 average, and has developed more power, increasing his doubles and home runs each season.
The Braves need to extend him and lock him up to a final, career-ending contract.
Freeman is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2021 season, and the Braves would be very smart to sign him now before he hits the open market or has another MVP season before he hits free agency, and his price goes up.
Extending Freeman to a six- or seven-year contract would be good for the clubhouse and would give the Braves an MVP caliber player for the next few seasons.
He is great defensively and he can hit productively in multiple ways.