Braves: How much will Freddie Freeman’s new contract cost?

Freddie Freeman is set to be a free agent after the World Series, so how much could his next deal cost?

Freddie Freeman has spent his entire career with the Atlanta Braves, with an MVP and a Gold Glove on his resume. On Tuesday night, his clutch home run in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers put the Braves in the NLCS for the second straight year.

Freeman has professed a desire to spend his entire career with the Braves. Here’s what he told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale in late September.

“I’ve been in this organization for 15 years, nearly half of my life, and it means everything to me,” Freeman said. “I am an Atlanta Brave. I love his organization. I don’t know anything else.

“The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, you know, and the grass is pretty green here. I know there is a business side to everything, but I really do hope we can work it out where I’m staying here. It’s weird it’s even gone down to this. But there’s nowhere else I want to go.

“It would mean the world to me to spend my entire career here.”

The eight-year, $135 million deal Freeman signed with the Braves in 2014 is set to expire after the World Series. The Braves don’t have their franchise cornerstone signed to an extension.

The 32-year old Freeman has shown no signs of slowing down at the plate, and over the last four regular seasons, he has missed seven games. He seems certain to give the Braves every chance to keep him before he even thinks about entertaining outside free agent suitors.

Will the Braves meet Freeman’s market value? Will he give them a hometown discount?

How much will Freddie Freeman’s contract cost?

Freeman crossed the $20 million per year threshold on his current/expiring contract in 2017, and he made $22 million this season. Looking ahead, Spotrac has tabbed his market value at just shy of $27.3 million per year as he nears free agency.

Super-long contracts for older players become albatrosses for teams as time goes on, with few if any exceptions. So the Braves have to be careful there. But a five or six-year deal would be a reasonable expectation for Freeman, and simple math at around $27 million a year puts the total value at $135 million (five years) or $162 million (six years). If the Braves won’t pony up to that level, north of $25 million a year, someone else surely will.