Atlanta Braves: 4 possible replacements for Freddie Freeman
By Kevin Henry
The Atlanta Braves could construct a trade to get Matt Olson from the Oakland A’s
What’s perhaps the easiest way for the Braves to get the production at first base they will be missing without Freeman? Make a trade with the Oakland A’s to get Matt Olson, which has been rumored to already be the contingency plan for Atlanta should Freeman leave the franchise.
The 27-year-old Olson is expected to be one of the most desired players on the trade market when the current MLB lockout ends and transactions can once again resume. Olson is wanted not only because of his 162-game average production of 40 home runs and 105 RBI during his six-year career, but also the fact that he will be under team control for the next two seasons for whichever team brings him on board.
Olson is projected to make around $12 million next season, making his salary fairly easy to add to the payroll as well. With Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos already saying that the team’s payroll will likely increase in 2022 as it tries to defend its World Series title, the Braves could theoretically bring Olson on and move the resources that would have spent on Freeman to shoring up other areas of the team.