Braves fans are torn between Matt Olson and Freddie Freeman for best of reasons

There's little Atlanta Braves fans can do at this point, but the front office's decision to part ways with Freddie Freeman in favor of Matt Olson is in question. Freeman was a franchise icon, but his price tag went above what Alex Anthopoulos was willing to pay. Olson, meanwhile, was available for trade.

Freeman is one of the best players in baseball, and has earned that title. Despite his struggles early this postseason, Freeman has now hit home runs in four straight World Series games dating back to his time in Atlanta. This has put Braves fans in a precarious positions. It is possible to root for Freeman, while still acknowledging the team made the right call moving on from him.

Olson was acquired for relatively little in the grand scheme of things. Shea Langeliers was the best asset Oakland received in that trade, but the rest of said trade package – including Cristian Pache, Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes – haven't amounted to much. Heck, some of those players aren't even on the Athletics roster as they move to Sacramento/Las Vegas.

Did Braves make the right call letting Freddie Freeman walk?

The Braves negotiations with Freeman went sideways thanks to his agency at the time, led by Casey Close. The agent has since claimed that the Braves used a false narrative to claim why they didn't bring Freeman back in the first place, but the difference in opinion speaks to an obvious disagreement on the player's value.

"I will not stand by as the circumstances surrounding Freddie Freeman's departure from Atlanta are mischaracterized. Since March, the Braves have fostered a narrative about the negotiations which, stated plainly, is false. Part of that false narrative is the suggestion that I did not communicate a contract offer to the Freemans. To be clear, we communicated every offer that was made, as well as every communication Excel had with the Braves organization throughout the entire process," Close said at the time.

Anthopoulos thought he could replace Freeman, which he did. Olson is an All-Star caliber player at his best. He is not Freeman, and while the former Braves player went through some tough emotions upon his initial return to Atlanta, he has since fully bought into his career as an LA Dodgers. Freeman is a California native, after all, and it's not shocking that he ended up playing for his hometown team.

Yet, Braves fans are torn. Freeman could have been a lifelong Brave, and he was handed the baton by Chipper Jones. Sports don't always work out as we would hope, and in baseball in particular, free agency is as relevent as ever. There are very few players who spend their entire careers in the same location.

Freeman is just the latest example, and Braves fans ought to accept that.