Both sides have been saying all the right things. Freeman wants to stay in Atlanta — the soft-service ice cream machine helps — and the Braves want him to stay. But the financial realities of the game exist even after a World Series win and, let’s not forget, even Henry Aaron finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers.
“I think everyone in this room knows I want to stay here,” he said in a news conference during the World Series.
Freeman, 32, might be even more accomplished than you realize. Since 2013, his on-base plus slugging percentage, when adjusted for league and home ballpark, has been at least 30 percent above average in each season. He has already accomplished that feat in a qualifying season as many times as Hall of Famers like Hank Greenberg, Carl Yastrzemski and Willie McCovey did in their entire careers. He has 271 home runs, won the 2020 N.L. Most Valuable Player Award, is a five-time All-Star, a Gold Glove-winner and was the best active player for a World Series-winning team.