3 most valuable Braves trade chips at the deadline
By John Buhler
1B. Freddie Freeman. player. 17. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Atlanta Braves. 2
Trading Freddie Freeman is blasphemous, but he is an impending free agent
Just the thought of the Braves trading Freddie Freeman makes my skin crawl. I get that he is an impending free agent, but trading the face of the franchise would be like trading Chipper Jones. While Atlanta never did such a thing with the switch-hitting legend, it’s not like Dale Murphy or the late Hank Aaron finished their illustrious careers in Braves uniform either. So yes, it could happen.
Even if he is an impending free agent, Freeman is a five-time All-Star and the reigning NL MVP. He is 31-years-old, so whatever potential trade package the Braves could ask for must deplete the other organization’s farm system, period. Nothing other than that should even remotely suffice. If the Braves trade Freeman for a bag of marbles, Liberty Media should be forced to sell the team.
While there are no guarantees Freeman re-signs with the Braves this winter, Atlanta may be forced to get something in return if all signs point towards him exiting stage left in free agency. He could play the second half of his career for another franchise like Julio Jones is doing, but trading Freeman away would crush Braves Country’s collective soul. Heaven, let your light shine down…
Though Freeman is the Braves’ best trade asset, dealing him would be like moving a mountain.