Los Angeles Dodgers, Freddie Freeman “very close” to a deal
According to multiple reports (including Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Jon Morosi of MLB.com), the Los Angeles Dodgers and free agent first baseman Freddie Freeman are “very close” to reaching a deal.
Freddie Freeman indeed is getting very close to signing with the #Dodgers, as @jonmorosi reported.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 17, 2022
Add: If completed, Freddie Freeman’s contract with the Dodgers could exceed $150 million. @MLBNetwork https://t.co/dnHWu6Jqwp
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 17, 2022
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Freddie Freeman are “very close” to a deal
The Los Angeles Dodgers would strengthen their status as baseball’s best overall team even further if they can ink Freddie Freeman to a deal.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that a deal would roughly be in the six-year, $160 million range.
Free-agent first baseman Freddie Freeman in serious talks with the Dodgers, sources tell @TheAthletic. Deal expected to be in six-year, $160 million range. First with talks progressing: @jonmorosi.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 17, 2022
At the beginning of the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors put Freeman as the third-best free agent on the market. For their top 50 list, nearly all of the players that have signed have signed for more than what they predicted. But if Freeman does sign for six years and $160 million, this would be significantly less than MLBTR’s prediction.
They predicted that he would get six years but a total of $180 million.
The Atlanta Braves just traded for first baseman Matt Olson to replace Freeman and they just extended him for eight-years and $168 million so while the Braves would get Olson for two more years and a lower average annual value (AAV), the contract total would be more than Freeman’s.
Freeman, 32, is a native of the Los Angeles area as he went to El Modena High School in Orange, Calif., which is about 35 miles away from Dodger Stadium.
In the last four seasons, Freeman has been an All-Star three times and been in the top 10 in NL MVP voting in all four seasons. In 2021, he also won a Silver Slugger Award after he hit .300/.393/.503 with 31 homers and 83 RBI.
The Dodgers also have Max Muncy to play first base but he suffered a UCL tear to end the season so the Dodgers could ease him into the season and DH him to start out with Freeman at first.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers will become the NL favorite, by far, with the addition of Freeman and, perhaps, he could be one of a handful of players in recent history to win back-to-back World Series on two different teams.