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Freddie Freeman’s words to Ronald Acuña Jr. carry weight for Atlanta Braves return

By Kevin Henry

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 21: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Freddie Freeman #5 and Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 21, 2021 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 4-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 21: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Freddie Freeman #5 and Ronald Acuna Jr. #13 of the Atlanta Braves in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 21, 2021 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 4-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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It has become quite fashionable to try to figure out which team Freddie Freeman may leave the Atlanta Braves for this offseason to continue his Major League Baseball career. However, could words spoken to Atlanta teammate Ronald Acuña Jr. just after the Braves won the World Series be enough to let Atlanta fans know that Freeman plans to be back with the team in 2022?

Freddie Freeman’s words to Ronald Acuña Jr. just after the Atlanta Braves won the World Series could be a good thing for Braves fans to remember as rumors swirl

As great as the World Series win was for the Atlanta Braves in 2021, it’s worth considering what impact the season-ending injury suffered by outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. ultimately had on Atlanta winning it all. After all, his knee injury suffered in mid-July was a big reason why the Braves rebuilt their outfield through the magical trade deadline work of Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta’s general manager and president of baseball operations.

Flash forward a few weeks to the offseason and Acuña is already showing he is back in the cage and preparing for the year ahead, which is a great thing for Braves fans (and MLB fans in general) to see.

Atlanta fans know Acuña is coming back to the lineup in 2022, but what of Freeman? As mentioned above, there are plenty of ideas about where he might land outside of Atlanta. But there’s also a high probability that he and the Braves can come to some kind of contract agreement once the current MLB lockout comes to an end.

And that return could have been on Freeman’s mind when he saw Acuña on the field after the Braves clinched their World Series win over the Houston Astros. As ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote, as Freeman hugged Acuña, some powerful words were uttered.

"“We did it,” Acuña told him. “We did it.”“Doing it with you next year,” Freeman said."

It’s part of a message that Freeman said often during the final few days of the regular season and throughout the postseason: “I am an Atlanta Brave. I love this organization.”

Next. Freeman's payroll dilemma for the Braves. dark

With Acuña coming back and Freeman stating his desire to stay in Atlanta, words spoken early in November can be something that Braves fans hang on to as the waves of rumors and “what ifs” keep crashing down.

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