Once Seager signed with the Rangers, things intensified on the Freeman-Dodgers rumor front. Rosenthal suggested in this November 29 article that the Dodgers could sign Freeman “to replace Seager as the top left-handed hitter in their lineup.”
MLB Network insider Jon Heyman chimed in the next day on Twitter.
Teams are trying to pry superstar 1B Freddie Freeman from Atlanta. Some say they still don’t think it will happen but r surprised he’s still free. Dodgers, who lost Seager and could move Muncy to 2B, may have best hope for SoCal product, NYY, TOR (h/t Carlos Baerga) reached out.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 30, 2021
The lockout would begin on December 1, but that wouldn’t stop the Freddie Freeman-Los Angeles Dodgers rumors.
On December 2, Dave Vassegh of AM 570 in Los Angeles and a Dodgers insider, is quoted in this article as saying, ““The one thing that has occurred since Corey Seager has agreed to sign with the Texas Rangers. The Dodgers have now pivoted toward Orange County’s own Freddie Freeman. … I had Dodger players immediately — I had three different Dodger players of significance text me after Seager’s news was announced, ‘Freddie Freeman. Freddie Freeman. Freddie Freeman.’”
Also in the article, Vassegh mentions that he has heard from some close to Freeman that the first baseman “has grown very impatient with the Atlanta Braves” when it comes to a new contract.
Suddenly, the seeds of discord between Freeman and Atlanta have been sown.