With MLB back on schedule and free agency ramping up again, it’s time to take a look at where the best first baseman in baseball will end up. Read to find out the top contenders and for a prediction of where Freddie Freeman will play in the future.
Where does Freddie Freeman land?
The speculation around Freddie Freeman’s future will finally be settled soon. Now that Opening Day is set for April 7th, it’s reasonable to think that Freeman makes a decision before the end of next week.
Freeman, 32, is the undisputed best first baseman in baseball and the stats over his past two seasons speak for themselves. Freeman hit .341 and .300 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Since 2020, he’s added an NL MVP award, two Silver Sluggers and a World Series ring to his hardware collection, as well as a 2021 All-Star nod.
Freeman’s value is without question, but that value leaves a select few teams capable of affording him.
Yankees
The Bronx Bombers are in desperate need of a first baseman, and it’s high time they made a move. The Yanks have been silent this offseason and have only lost players while missing out on every big-name free agent out there.
Freddie Freeman is General Manager Brian Cashman’s chance to right the ship. Locking Freeman up to a five or six year deal would establish them as the team they’ve always been and put confidence back in a fan base that isn’t used to frugality.
The Yankees’ ability to afford Freeman is not a question, and they cannot start Luke Voit at first base this season and expect to win. Vegas still has the Yankees as slight favorites to win the AL East, but this move would cement that and put the league on notice that they still have to contend with the might of the Yankee empire.
Dodgers
The Dodgers are another big market team that’s in need of a confidence boost prior to Opening Day. LA lost both starting pitcher Max Scherzer and shortstop Corey Seager in free agency and still have a dark cloud looming over them in the form of Trevor Bauer. Now that they’ve re-signed Clayton Kershaw to a one year deal, the attention now turns to the offense. The Dodgers haven’t made any notable major league position player moves and are coming off a season where they didn’t even crack the top 10 in team batting average or total hits.
For a team that spends the way the Dodgers do that just isn’t acceptable. The Dodgers have put themselves in a situation that results in failure every year the team fails to win the Fall Classic. The best remedy for this problem: sign big name players like Freeman.
His quick bat, power, fielding ability, experience and swagger are all qualities that’d fit perfectly in the atmosphere of Chavez Ravine. Even better, the newly instituted universal DH would allow the Dodgers to plug Max Muncy into that spot in the lineup and put Freeman at first.
Braves
Freeman’s home for the past 11 seasons has become reluctant to pay him what he deserves. After being an instrumental part of Atlanta’s World Series run last year, Braves management has suddenly fallen behind in the race to ink the MVP.
If the Braves have their sights on another shot at the World Series, they would be very wise to hang onto Freeman and accept that they’ll have to spend on him big time. Right now Atlanta’s starting first baseman would be Orlando Arcia who hit an abysmal .198 over 36 games between the Brewers and Braves in the 2021 regular season.
There are definitely cheaper options at the first base position, but it’s baffling that the Braves haven’t moved heaven and earth to re-sign Freeman after the way he’s played for them over his decade-long career.
If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and if the Braves expect to be back in October and add to that 2021 World Series victory, they’ll do the smart thing and bring Freeman back.
