After a dismal 0-7 start in which it seemed like the sky was falling, the Atlanta Braves now find themselves among the hottest teams in baseball. Sunday's emphatic win over the Boston Red Sox gave Brian Snitker's team a series victory on the road against a legitimate contender, and ran Atlanta's record to 18-10 since April 19 — tops in the NL, ahead of the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Spencer Strider is set to rejoin the rotation on Tuesday night, and Ronald Acuña Jr. seems close to a return as he tears up his rehab assignment at Triple-A. Suddenly, the Braves seem very much a factor in what should be a blockbuster pennant chase. So, naturally, all baseball media wants to talk about is ... Freddie Freeman leaving Atlanta in free agency more than three years ago? Really?
Yes, really. At least MLB Network does: That was the subject of an entire segment between MLB Now cohosts Brian Kenny and Mark DeRosa on Monday, as they ripped GM Alex Anthopoulos for his decision to let Freeman walk in favor of acquiring Matt Olson from the Athletics. At this point, Braves fans can probably guess exactly how the conversation played out.
Of course, Freeman has been sensational in three-plus years with the Dodgers, and he's been arguably the best hitter in baseball so far in 2025 with a 1.097 OPS that leads the National League. Olson, meanwhile, hasn't produced to his usual lofty standards just yet, although a big weekend in Boston could be a sign of a hot streak to come.
But even beyond the specifics, you can't blame Braves fans for asking: Why exactly are we still talking about this? And why does everyone refuse to acknowledge that this decision which looks so simple in hindsight was a lot more complicated at the time?
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MLB Network engages in wild revisionist history about Freddie Freeman's departure from Atlanta
Yes, Freeman has been the better player since the start of 2022, and one of the very best in the game. The Dodgers were lucky to land him, and he was maybe the single biggest reason why the team captured the World Series last season.
But the second-best first baseman over that span, according to FanGraphs? That's right: Olson, who also happens to be more than four years younger. And it bears repeating that Anthopoulos didn't actually just let Freeman walk out the door, like Kenny and DeRosa suggest. Freeman himself drove a very hard bargain, one that belies any notion that he was willing to bend over backwards to return to Atlanta. He even concocted a pretty plainly fake story about his agent at the time not presenting him with a Braves contract offer in an effort to avoid coming off like the bad guy.
In reality, Freeman wanted top dollar, and the Braves decided to give that money to an ascending player rather than someone entering his mid-30s. Freeman, to his credit, has proved Father Time wrong so far. But if he really wanted to still be in Atlanta, he would be; Anthopoulos was more than open to bringing him back, as long as he did so for slightly less money and slightly fewer years than the six-year, $162 million deal he eventually signed with L.A. He quite understandably chose his own financial security, and while he shouldn't be blamed for that, it's time to let this dog lie.