Freddie Freeman has agreed to a six-year, $162 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told ESPN Jeff Passan and Keely McDaniel.
Freeman, 32, became a free agent for the first time in his career after helping the Atlanta Braves win their first World Series since 1995 with a six-game win over the Houston Astros. During his 12th major league season, the first baseman hit .300 (eighth in the National League) with 31 homers, 83 RBIs and 120 runs scored.
Freeman’s deal has the second highest average annual value ($27 million) for a first baseman (behind Miguel Cabrera’s eight-year contract with the Detroit Tigers, which has an average annual value of $31 million), and is the seventh largest. the total value of the position.
The fact that Freeman became a free agent came as something of a surprise to the player, who has long been considered the face of the Atlanta franchise. The Braves anointed him as such, signing an eight-year, $135 million extension in 2014 to make him a cornerstone of the franchise’s post-recovery player.
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Atlanta lost 90 or more games in three straight seasons before becoming a title contender in 2018. With Freeman in the lead, the Braves have since won four consecutive NL East titles, culminating in last season’s championship.
After the World Series, Freeman’s contract expired and the Braves made him a qualifying offer ($18.4 million). As expected, Freeman turned down the offer and became a free agent.
Freeman struck free agency with one of the most brilliant resumes in the game. He is a .295 career hitter, with 271 homers among his 1,704 career hits. Both hits and homers are among the top 10 career achievements in Braves history. Only Chipper Jones and Dale Murphy have amassed more hits for the Braves since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966.
Freeman has competed on five NL All-Star teams, won the 2018 Gold Glove, won the Silver Slugger award at NL first base in each of the past three seasons, and finished in the top 10 NL MVP six times. In 2020, Freeman was named NL Most Valuable Player after hitting a career-high .341 during a pandemic-shortened campaign.
The Braves selected Freeman in the second round of the 2007 draft. He was born and raised in southern California, but since both of his parents were born in Canada, he holds dual citizenship.
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN contributed to this report.