Braves at risk of losing more than just Freddie Freeman

The Atlanta Braves aren’t just at risk of losing Freddie Freeman to the Los Angeles Dodgers — free agent slugger Jorge Soler also has plenty of suitors on the free agent market.

While Freeman is weighing his options, the Braves must consider their own. For one, if Freeman does leave, they’ll need to replace his production is short order.

The Oakland Athletics are expected to be Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos’ first calls if Freeman leaves, as Matt Olson is a pretty clear replacement. The Athletics are in the middle of a fire sale, having already dealt Chris Bassitt to the Mets. Olson is from Georgia. It makes a lot of sense.

However, Olson’s production alone isn’t enough to replace Freeman — they’ll need more at the plate. With the universal DH being implemented in new CBA, keeping Jorge Soler around on a long-term contract makes a lot of sense.

Unfortunately, for the Braves, that might not be an option.

You’ll notice the Braves are not on that list.

Atlanta Braves content losing Jorge Soler

Soler was a tremendous fit with the Braves after they acquired him at the trade deadline. During Atlanta’s World Series run, Soler contributed a number of memorable moments, including the exclamation point.

The Braves have plenty of internal DH options, including Marcell Ozuna who is coming off a domestic violence suspension. But adding, rather than subtracting, from a World Series team is the expectation for a Braves fanbase which was starved of playoff success for so long.

Assuming Freeman does head to sunny Los Angeles for a contract the Braves and Liberty Media refused to offer him, Atlanta sports fans will be in search of a prominent replacement not just at first base, but at the plate as well.

The Braves front office would be under scrutiny all season long if they allowed Freeman and Soler to walk away without a viable backup plan, and rightly so.