The Los Angeles Dodgers added outfield depth over the weekend, as they signed longtime Atlanta Braves player Eddie Rosario. Rosario won a World Series with the Braves in 2021, torching the Dodgers in the NLCS in the process. Rosario was the MVP of that series, and played a vital role in an improbable Atlanta World Series run.
Since then, Rosario has struggled to regain form. Last season, he appeared in 91 games for the Braves and Nationals, but had a WAR of -1.6, and a .531 OPS. At this stage of his career, Rosario is not an everyday player, but he'd love to hitch a ride on this Dodgers superteam with the hope of securing another World Series trophy.
Rosario is quite familiar with Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, and had fun reminiscing with the former Braves star after reporting to spring training. While Rosario was a member of Atlanta's team just last season, he considers his role in the team's last World Series run a distant memory.
"But it's in the past," Rosario said. "It was a good moment for me."
When asked about Rosario's moment of fame, Freeman noted that he remembers it all too well.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on. The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.
Freddie Freeman and Eddie Rosario laugh it up about Braves World Series run
Freeman's Braves departure was far more dramatic and painful than Rosario's. Freeman was expected to be the face of the franchise, next in line after Chipper Jones retired. Instead, he left for sunny Los Angeles and a National League rival Braves fans despise. Freddie's first series back in Atlanta was as emotional as they come, with Clayton Kershaw even stepping in to make sure Freeman wanted to be with the Dodgers in the first place.
Rosario hasn't felt that pain. It's pretty clear all parties here made the right decision. Freeman won a World Series with his boyhood team in LA. The Braves acquired Matt Olson, a Georgia native, to replace him. And Rosario wasn't cutting it as the team's corner outfielder long term. In Los Angeles, he has a former teammate in Freeman who can vouch for him, and the possibility of catching on with one of the most talented MLB rosters ever assembled.
So yes, hearing Rosario and Freeman discuss the Braves NLCS series win as if it happened an entire career ago is painful. It should be, but that memory isn't at distant as they claim.