Braves: Brian Snitker not ‘freaking out’ about potentially losing Freddie Freeman

Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker isn’t fretting over the possibility of losing first baseman Freddie Freeman in free agency.

Freeman and the Braves are off by exactly one year and $30 million. In baseball contract terms, that’s not exactly all that much.

The problem is those concerns have been allowed to fester for months on end thanks to the MLB lockout. As the players and owners remain far off from any potential agreement, the possibility of a player like Freeman playing elsewhere only grows.

When the lockout ends, there will be a mad free agent dash like we’ve never seen before, as players will look to sign before spring training, and teams opt to fill out their major-league rosters with proven talent.

Veterans like Freeman, for one, will not last long. So the Braves must act fast.

Brian Snitker not worried about losing Freddie Freeman

"“I think the last time I talked to Freddie was after we got back to Atlanta (from the last World Series game in Houston) — maybe at the parade. It’s hard,” Snitker told The Athletic. “Right now, I know we can’t sign him. I might feel (worse) if it was a normal offseason. So we’ll see. I hope we have him, but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I have no idea where guys are going to end up.”"

Snitker stressed that he’s “not freaking out” about the possibility of losing Freeman, especially since the Braves aren’t allowed to speak with him during the lockout.

Essentially, there’s nothing Snitker or the Braves front office can do about the lack of negotiations right now. However Freeman is feeling — whether he opts to re-sign in Atlanta or not — is completely out of their control, per MLB rules.

“Do I want Freddie back? Absolutely. Why wouldn’t I? But it may not happen. It’s the way business is. But I’m not freaking out about it right now,” Snitker added.

For the Braves sake, we can only hope the two sides reach some sort of understanding.