Dansby Swanson on Braves facing Freddie Freeman: We’ve moved on

Dansby Swanson says the Atlanta Braves have moved on from losing Freddie Freeman to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency.

With the Atlanta Braves facing the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season on Monday night, shortstop Dansby Swanson says his team has moved on from losing first baseman Freddie Freeman to their NL rival in his well-documented free-agency period.

“It’ll be good to see him,” said Swanson to David O’Brien of The Athletic. “We’ve texted and talked about, like, my wedding coming up. I’ve been giving him a hard time, telling him he better be there, that kind of stuff.”

Freeman was drafted by the Braves out of high school in 2007. He never played for another team until signing with the Dodgers. He had been a franchise cornerstone and a team leader prior to his departure in free agency. While Swanson is now the elder statesman of the Atlanta clubhouse, he too is possibly playing in his final season in a Braves uniform. Swanson is an impending free agent.

While Freeman’s departure sent shockwaves throughout baseball, it only came after Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos dealt for Lilburn native and former Parkview star Matt Olson first in a huge trade with the Oakland Athletics. With Olson being on an absolute tear at the plate in his first two weeks with the Braves, he has helped Atlanta collectively move on from Freeman.

“I don’t know. I feel like both parties to this point — we’re big boys. We’re grown-ups. We’ve moved forward,” said Swanson. “He’s able to be back home, and we got a phenomenal guy over there at first base, too. It’ll just be good to see him. I always like seeing him.”

While the guys on the diamond may be cordial, only one of these teams can win the World Series.

Dansby Swanson: Atlanta Braves have moved on from Freddie Freeman

Though Swanson can say these sort of things to an excellent beat reporter like O’Brien, no doubt about it, he will be the one guy on the Braves roster most affected by Freeman’s departure. He was the one who said nobody could use what was once Freeman’s locker down in spring training. While his No. 5 jersey will eventually be retired, a spring training locker is not a sacred shrine.

Even if Olson has been an instant success in Atlanta uniform, the Braves are not going to be the Braves again until Ronald Acuña Jr. returns to the lineup. He is the new face of the franchise and the future for all things Atlanta baseball for the rest of the decade. Swanson may be the vocal leader of the team, but the soon-to-be free agent has had a miserable time at the plate of late.

Though it is cool that Swanson finally gets to play with his would-be Vanderbilt roommate in Olson, the quicker the Braves move on from Freeman, the better. His impact on the franchise is undeniable, but the Braves cannot find themselves living in the past. If you become too beholden to all that was holy about a team’s most recent championship, you will become the Chicago Bears.

It may be cool to see Freeman again, but the Braves still need to care of business vs. the Dodgers.