Braves: Freddie Freeman reiterates he’s happy and wants to remain in Atlanta

I’ve frankly been astonished by the amount of people that actually think Freddie Freeman should be traded. First off, regarding free agency, he’s said never wavered from the fact that he wants to be a Brave for life, and the Braves have all the money in the world to sign him for whatever he wants. They have less than $60 million committed to next year’s roster. Secondly, the Braves are only 4.5 games back with three months of baseball left to play! Given that they have several key pieces expected to come back in August and they can also upgrade at the trade deadline, this season is not even close to being over. There is no reason to wave the white flag, and there’s even less of a reason to trade Freddie Freeman.

However, for some reason, people believe the Braves won’t be able to re-sign him this offseason — which, if I haven’t made myself clear, is foolish. Some people have even convinced themselves that he’s no longer happy with the organization and has an urge to return home and play for one of the teams in Los Angeles. Well, that’s not the case, and he once again reiterated that point to David O’Brien of The Athletic yesterday. Here’s how Freeman responded when O’Brien asked him if he was hoping to stay in Atlanta, “Well, obviously. This is 15 years I’ve been with this organization. I don’t know anything else.”

Freeman also directly denied any rumors that he has any desire to return home to play in Los Angeles, “No. I grew up in Orange County, and we want my sons to be outside in the wintertime. You can’t do that in 25 degrees in Atlanta. That’s why I go home, OK? It’s not because I don’t want to be in Atlanta. It’s just because we want our kids not to be inside (all winter). And we have a lot of help (Freeman’s family) out there, you know? I mean, my in-laws are in Florida, and they’re the only ones in the United States, because everyone else in Chelsea’s family is in England and Scotland. So we have all the help in California, so we’re going to go there (in the offseason).”

Lastly, Freeman reminded everyone that his feelings about the Braves haven’t changed, “Believe me, I understand. I get it. I wish it wasn’t like this, I do. But we are here. But I still feel the same way I felt about this organization since Day 1.”

I know people like to be reactionary. I’m also aware Liberty Media hasn’t exactly earned the trust of the fan base. But at the same time, look at it from a logical standpoint. The Braves have so much money coming off the books, and with fans back in attendance, payroll should only increase next season. They should have anywhere from $90-100 million to spend this offseason. They can easily fit Freddie Freeman into their books. There’s absolutely no reason to trade the face of this organization, and it’s not going to happen.