Freeman: No urgency from the Braves; LA is ‘home’

GLENDALE, Ariz. — For the new Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, Freddie Freemanthe unthinkable began to come true last season when the face of the Atlanta Braves for 12 years began to contemplate life on another team when he saw that Atlanta just didn’t show the interest he would have liked for him.

“As the season went on, there were no talks, so you think this is what’s going to happen,” Freeman said Friday. “When you get to free agency, everything is wrong.”

And when he got there, Atlanta’s interest didn’t exactly increase. Freeman only heard from them twice, and neither time was urgent, at least as Freeman saw it.

“The communication wasn’t quite there in the offseason,” Freeman said. “I received two phone calls… I received more than [el presidente de los Dodgers] Andrew [Friedman] to my agent within a couple of hours.

“I didn’t know what was going on. I got a call [de los Braves] the day before the lockout, just to check in, and a call when the lockout was lifted, just to check in. I didn’t know how to interpret that.”

Friedman and Freeman spoke on a sun-soaked deck overlooking Freeman’s new spring stadium, Camelback Ranch. After a dozen years of showing up in Florida in February, he quickly recognized the dry heat of Arizona, instead of the humidity he was used to, when he asked for a bottle of water. That kind of trade became possible once Atlanta traded for first baseman from the Oakland Athletics, matt olsonon Monday.

“I had no idea that was going to happen,” Freeman said. “When they told me, my emotions were all over the place. You see that chapter close right then and there. I couldn’t speak for a couple of hours, trying to figure it all out.”

Freeman was asked if he saw any reports of Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos shedding tears after trading Olson, essentially ending Freeman’s run as the face of his former team.

“I saw them,” Freeman said. “That’s all I’ll say.”

Whatever negative emotions Freeman felt after the trade, they were quickly replaced by excitement about coming home to play for the Dodgers. A Southern California native, Freeman was excited by the idea of ​​playing opposite his father, grandfather and his extended family.

“I didn’t think it would ever make it to free agency, if we’re being honest about it,” Freeman said. “I tried to take a step back and take it all in. It all came down to wanting to come home. If it wasn’t the Braves, this would be the best decision.”

The courtship began around Thanksgiving, on a Zoom call with Freeman, Friedman and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. At the time, Friedman thought signing the five-time All-Star was a long shot, but that didn’t stop him from making one more call just before the lockout.

“We knew the ties he had [con Atlanta] and we respect and appreciate them,” Friedman said. “At the wedding of mookie [Betts]Doc [Roberts], justin turner and I go out, 10 minutes before the deadline [y lo llamamos]… Before it all went dark, we said, ‘Don’t forget about us.’

“We actually left a Nelly live music performance to go out and call. It took us a long time to do that.”

Said Freeman: “I was feeding my baby at the time… We have to help Justin Turner. His name came up on my phone quite a bit.”

The Dodgers’ dream came true Wednesday night when Freeman signed for $162 million over six years. He joins a potent lineup for a team that continues to generate talent, both from its minor league system and from the market.

“I can’t say enough about the ownership, the position they put us in annually, to go out there and be in a position to win the last game of the year,” Friedman said. “Our chances of that just increased.”

Fans cheered Freeman’s every move Friday, from his first batting practice to working on bunt defense, and chanted his name during his news conference.

It’s a different uniform, spring town and home, but it’s where Freeman wants to be after saying goodbye to the past.

“The last week has been a bit of a whirlwind,” Freeman said. “It’s very exciting to come home.”