Official 2022 Offseason Moves Thread

Rosenthal has a whole story on the Freeman situation, basically saying things could move really quickly once the lockout ends, with a particular focus on the Braves potentially trading for Olsen. Honestly, the tone does not seem terribly optimistic about Freeman re-signing.
 
MadduxFanII said:
Rosenthal has a whole story on the Freeman situation, basically saying things could move really quickly once the lockout ends, with a particular focus on the Braves potentially trading for Olsen. Honestly, the tone does not seem terribly optimistic about Freeman re-signing.
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https://theathletic.com/3087988/202...he-lockout-ends-flipping-the-assumed-outcome/

Pretty much says it all - and encompasses what a lot of old-school fans have been saying. Also a reason it's fair to expect it to be that much tougher to sell Atlanta as a "destination" for players in the future...

"After robbing all that money from Acuna and Albies, I don't think that's somewhere I'm interested in playing if they're not going to spend that money rewarding a player like Freeman."

Everything Alex has done is strictly by the book, and it's impossible to criticize his business decisions. Unfortunately he's simply going to go down in Braves' history as another corporate goon doing Liberty's bidding if he allows Freddie to leave - even though everyone understands the business side, that doesn't excuse hiding behind it when it comes to how you handle a franchise icon when there's plenty of revenue available to make everyone happy. The fact that they've treated him like this for this long is a stain on the organization that has been talked about by players in other markets - not just the Braves' clubhouse - and it's eventually going to cost them a player they want even when they're the highest bidder.

Would things be different if he hadn't stayed through the rebuild? Absolutely. However, by not rewarding a player of Freeman's ilk when he agreed to become the face of a franchise when things were bad - smiling while taking every question in interviews, patting management on the back constantly, and NEVER hinting that it would be nice to be traded somewhere that he could achieve personal goals like winning an MVP or a ring - the franchise has publicly minimalized the contributions of the most important player its had since Chipper retired, and there's an argument to be made that Freddie has been more important since Chipper was never asked to deal with a rebuilding situation in his entire career.

Dallas H. sums it up pretty well in his post in the comments section - if you're going to trade top prospects and extend Olson for similar money, you've dedicated a substantial amount more of your overall resources in an attempt to MAINTAIN your 1B position and have hurt your ability to improve the team in the long run.
 
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As usual, there's a lot of nuance to this situation.

First, everyone might be wise to remember AA supposedly offered Freeman 5/135. Fact of the matter is that value beats Goldy's $130 extension, and sets the modern bar for the 30+ aged 1B market (which has absolutely crashed in the last decade as teams stopped sinking money into those roster spots). It would also make Freeman the recipient of the two largest contracts ever given out by the Braves. I'm unclear why some insist the Braves owe Freeman more than the two largest contracts in franchise history, as well as being the highest paid 1B in the league. So this idea the Braves are unwilling to open the checkbook for Freeman is not backed up by facts.

Second, everyone seems to think this is a one-way decision to keep Freeman a Brave for his entire career, and then casually mention "like Chipper" as if Chipper didn't make financial sacrifices to stay in Atlanta. Chipper went through the latter part of his career taking a series of 2 year extensions, and there is no doubt he could have signed elsewhere for some mega contract at some point. He didn't because he wanted to stay a Brave. Why is there no pressure on Freeman to accept 5/135 and remain a Brave?

Third, this idea of trading for and extending Olson is pure speculation, and is not something AA has ever done. Folks love to blabber on about "trade and extend" deals, as if extending a player at market rate somehow makes the trade better for the team, despite the fact they rarely happen. Most likely, AA would trade for 2 years of Olson, and then let him walk when he, like Freeman, is too expensive to keep at the 1B position. At that point he would fill 1B with another short/medium term option...those bat only guys are quite literally always available.

Fourth, it's mindboggling to me that folks would rather see their team be "loyal" to a player by overpaying for him rather than being "loyal" to the fanbase and consistently fielding a winning team. I want the Braves to be good in 3 years, and that is more likely to happen if they aren't paying a 35 year old 1B almost $30M. Sorry, I get no joy staring at the WS flag. That fun is over, and I want to continue being entertained by good Braves baseball for another 5+ years...not feel nostalgic about 2021 while a broken down Freeman posts 1.5 WAR and the Braves win 76 games.

So yeah AA, if you're able to get Olson for spare parts (meaning no Harris or Lango, bonus points if no Pache) and use the extra money for a SP and OF help, do it. You've made the right move, regardless of what the Twitterverse says. They'll be thanking you in 5 years...if they haven't forgotten all about their moronic ideas and complaints by then (spoiler: they will have forgotten).
 
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Is it possible that everyone has forgotten the bad life choices that Chipper made early on? His desire to remain a Brave, regardless of remuneration, may have been weighed on those choices. Regardless, I greatly admire Chipper for his baseball career and more even if his decision to remain a Brave was to remain an active parent.
 
I hate the term reward when talking about contracts.. why should a team reward a player for what they have done versus just paying them for what they are going to do. I understand you get raises based on past performance, but unfortunately teams now realize there is a curve on performance and eventually FF curve will start downward.
 
Enscheff said:
Third, this idea of trading for and extending Olson is pure speculation, and is not something AA has ever done. Folks love to blabber on about "trade and extend" deals, as if extending a player at market rate somehow makes the trade better for the team, despite the fact they rarely happen. Most likely, AA would trade for 2 years of Olson, and then let him walk when he, like Freeman, is too expensive to keep at the 1B position. At that point he would fill 1B with another short/medium term option...those bat only guys are quite literally always available.
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Olson is 27 now. An extension for him would take him to around his age 31-33 age season depending on the contract length, i dont think thats too crazy. Freeman is 32 now i think. Olson trade mainly depends on the prospect cost. Can you keep Harris or Shea out of the deal? Seems unlikely. I'm not against dealing for Olson if the cost is reasonable, he's a stud though.
 
Why spend massive amounts on extending a first basemen when you can find someone like CJ Cron each year if you're smart
 
You dont pay someone for what they've done, but more what they're gonna do moving forward. It's actually the right baseball move to not pay Freeman but man, that's gonna be tough on AA from a PR standpoint. He should have earned the fans trust.
 
Enscheff said:
As usual, there's a lot of nuance to this situation.

First, everyone might be wise to remember AA supposedly offered Freeman 5/135. Fact of the matter is that value beats Goldy's $130 extension, and sets the modern bar for the 30+ aged 1B market (which has absolutely crashed in the last decade as teams stopped sinking money into those roster spots). It would also make Freeman the recipient of the two largest contracts ever given out by the Braves. I'm unclear why some insist the Braves owe Freeman more than the two largest contracts in franchise history, as well as being the highest paid 1B in the league. So this idea the Braves are unwilling to open the checkbook for Freeman is not backed up by facts.

Second, everyone seems to think this is a one-way decision to keep Freeman a Brave for his entire career, and then casually mention "like Chipper" as if Chipper didn't make financial sacrifices to stay in Atlanta. Chipper went through the latter part of his career taking a series of 2 year extensions, and there is no doubt he could have signed elsewhere for some mega contract at some point. He didn't because he wanted to stay a Brave. Why is there no pressure on Freeman to accept 5/135 and remain a Brave?

Third, this idea of trading for and extending Olson is pure speculation, and is not something AA has ever done. Folks love to blabber on about "trade and extend" deals, as if extending a player at market rate somehow makes the trade better for the team, despite the fact they rarely happen. Most likely, AA would trade for 2 years of Olson, and then let him walk when he, like Freeman, is too expensive to keep at the 1B position. At that point he would fill 1B with another short/medium term option...those bat only guys are quite literally always available.

Fourth, it's mindboggling to me that folks would rather see their team be "loyal" to a player by overpaying for him rather than being "loyal" to the fanbase and consistently fielding a winning team. I want the Braves to be good in 3 years, and that is more likely to happen if they aren't paying a 35 year old 1B almost $30M. Sorry, I get no joy staring at the WS flag. That fun is over, and I want to continue being entertained by good Braves baseball for another 5+ years...not feel nostalgic about 2021 while a broken down Freeman posts 1.5 WAR and the Braves win 76 games.

So yeah AA, if you're able to get Olson for spare parts (meaning no Harris or Lango, bonus points if no Pache) and use the extra money for a SP and OF help, do it. You've made the right move, regardless of what the Twitterverse says. They'll be thanking you in 5 years...if they haven't forgotten all about their moronic ideas and complaints by then (spoiler: they will have forgotten).
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This is about as spot on as you can get. It’s nothing personal on Freeman it’s just business and some people don’t look at it that way.
 
clvclv said:
https://theathletic.com/3087988/202...he-lockout-ends-flipping-the-assumed-outcome/

Pretty much says it all - and encompasses what a lot of old-school fans have been saying. Also a reason it's fair to expect it to be that much tougher to sell Atlanta as a "destination" for players in the future...

"After robbing all that money from Acuna and Albies, I don't think that's somewhere I'm interested in playing if they're not going to spend that money rewarding a player like Freeman."

Everything Alex has done is strictly by the book, and it's impossible to criticize his business decisions. Unfortunately he's simply going to go down in Braves' history as another corporate goon doing Liberty's bidding if he allows Freddie to leave - even though everyone understands the business side, that doesn't excuse hiding behind it when it comes to how you handle a franchise icon when there's plenty of revenue available to make everyone happy. The fact that they've treated him like this for this long is a stain on the organization that has been talked about by players in other markets - not just the Braves' clubhouse - and it's eventually going to cost them a player they want even when they're the highest bidder.

Would things be different if he hadn't stayed through the rebuild? Absolutely. However, by not rewarding a player of Freeman's ilk when he agreed to become the face of a franchise when things were bad - smiling while taking every question in interviews, patting management on the back constantly, and NEVER hinting that it would be nice to be traded somewhere that he could achieve personal goals like winning an MVP or a ring - the franchise has publicly minimalized the contributions of the most important player its had since Chipper retired, and there's an argument to be made that Freddie has been more important since Chipper was never asked to deal with a rebuilding situation in his entire career.

Dallas H. sums it up pretty well in his post in the comments section - if you're going to trade top prospects and extend Olson for similar money, you've dedicated a substantial amount more of your overall resources in an attempt to MAINTAIN your 1B position and have hurt your ability to improve the team in the long run.
Click to expand...

Why does everyone assume Acuña and Albies are now or will soon be pissed about their contracts? No one forced them to sign the extensions. Each player could've gone through the normal progression and become free agents available to the highest bidder. They did what people do in all walks of life, including sports...they traded away risk for financial security and certainty. If either of them had a career ending injury or just didn't pan out in their pre-arb years they would've likely been doomed to a life of relative poverty in their respective home countries. Obviously neither player is getting anywhere close to market value, but if they never play another game they still have the opportunity to create generational wealth. It's a little different situation compared to someone who grew up in the U.S. in a middle class or above background...the foreign-born guys don't have the safety net we're all accustomed to as people who grew up as U.S. citizens.
 
Heyward said:
Olson is 27 now. An extension for him would take him to around his age 31-33 age season depending on the contract length, i dont think thats too crazy. Freeman is 32 now i think. Olson trade mainly depends on the prospect cost. Can you keep Harris or Shea out of the deal? Seems unlikely. I'm not against dealing for Olson if the cost is reasonable, he's a stud though.
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I'd have to do some checking, but I don't think position players with 4+ years service sign 5 year deals. It would likely have to cover 2 arb years plus 5+ FA years...which takes him into his mid-30s. Nobody wants to hit FA in their early 30s, and the only reason Freeman is now is because he got his payday very early in his career when there was still real risk he wouldn't make much money.
 
I hate this organization at times. I forgave them for Brett Butler, Bob Horner, and Tom Glavine. If they don't re-sign Freddie I hope he personally knocks them out of the playoffs the next six years and pours salt in the wound by going into the Hall wearing the colors of the team that appreciated his ability.
 
If we think we will be unable to retain Freeman, we need to make that immediately clear and sign Rizzo before he is off the market.
 
VirginiaBrave said:
I hate this organization at times. I forgave them for Brett Butler, Bob Horner, and Tom Glavine. If they don't re-sign Freddie I hope he personally knocks them out of the playoffs the next six years and pours salt in the wound by going into the Hall wearing the colors of the team that appreciated his ability.
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Freeman has been compensated more than fairly for his services. He's not even 32 yet and he's already earned 130+ million. Not sure how he hasn't been appreciated.
 
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