Los Angeles Dodgers, Clayton Kershaw, wowed with the reception Freddie Freeman received from Braves fans on his comeback.
Freeman was emotional, and rightly so. He spent his entire career with Atlanta up until this season, and expected to re-sign with the Braves before closing.
But things are changing. Atlanta acted on what they saw as a change in the market, and traded for Matt Olson – Freeman’s long-term replacement. Freeman signed with his hometown Dodgers and the rest is baseball history.
for A brief moment this weekend, Freeman came home, and became emotional. It happens – especially given how all this happened, and the fact that these brave guys together won the world championship.
Kershaw was stunned, and seemed to cast some shade in Freeman’s direction.
Clayton Kershaw has no idea what Freddy Freeman has been through
Kershaw was a free agent last season as well, and despite flirting with his hometown Texas Rangers, he chose to stay in Los Angeles – the only team he’d ever known. Imagine if he signed a contract with the Texans, and visited the Dodgers’ family at his Los Angeles home? How emotional would it be?
Throw the world championship ring into the mix, and now you understand where Freeman came from.
Freeman certainly appreciates his new home. He doesn’t need Atlanta to be brave enough to do his best, and maybe lead the Dodgers to another world championship this fall. However, Braves and Dodgers work in different ways.
Los Angeles can afford any player he wants. Atlanta, despite the money that Liberty Media has brought in, is pretty much the average team in the market. They don’t starve for money—there is no MLB organization, despite what the owners might say—but Braves rarely spend in the luxury tax. They wouldn’t have done it to keep Freeman, as painful as this might be.
Dodgers see stars come and go, as if they were nothing. Freeman is forever brave. And due to some casual haggling — or maybe misunderstanding, depending on who you think — he’s no longer in Atlanta.
It feels wrong and it will be for some time.
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