The rich got considerably richer on Wednesday when first baseman Freddie Freeman, a former league most valuable player who led Atlanta to its shocking World Series title last season, agreed to sign with his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers.
Freeman, 32, will receive $162 million over six years in a deal that was confirmed by a person familiar with the negotiations who was not authorized to discuss it publicly because it had not been finalized.
When the off-season started, it seemed like a return to Atlanta was a foregone conclusion for Freeman, a second-round draft pick of the team in 2007 who came up through its minor league system. He had been the team’s face and leader, through thick and thin, since becoming an everyday player in 2011. His home run in the Series-clinching Game 6 served as an exclamation point on his tenure in Atlanta. In 12 seasons, he hit .295 with a .384 on-base percentage, 271 home runs and 941 runs batted in.