We’re all suckers for it. The late free agent returns to where he started. Fans shower him with affection. Tears are shed, hugs are exchanged. The passage of time makes the bittersweet moment less bitter, sweeter.
That’s what you thought you saw when Freddie Freeman returned to Atlanta last weekend, right? Well, we now know that an undercurrent of anger fueled Freeman’s emotions, the bitter rivaling, perhaps even surpassing, the sweet.
Freeman’s decision to leave the Braves for the Dodgers was one of the most unfortunate free-agent results in recent memory, and one for which each party — the Braves, Freeman’s agents at Excel Sports Management, Freeman himself — bears responsibility.
The episode reflected many things that are not true about professional sports in the 21st century. Teams that care more about payroll efficiency than showing loyalty to the players they rewarded. Agents who care more about setting a financial standard than fulfilling their clients’ wishes. Fan favorites pounce on other clubs because… well, why exactly?
Freeman’s decision to join the Dodgers on a six-year, $162 million free-agent deal seemed unfortunate the moment it happened more than three months ago. Things looked even worse over the weekend when Freeman shed enough tears to water the pitch at Truist Park for the next three months.
And unbelievably, the saga is still not over.
On Sunday night, during ESPN’s broadcast of the Dodgers Braves series finale, all baseball agents received an email from the Major League Baseball Players Association that read, “Please do not contact Freddie Freeman.” The union only issues such orders at the request of a player. In such cases, the player generally wants to avoid being overwhelmed by calls or messages from their previous agency or other agents interested in representing them.
Several agents said Sunday night that Freeman had decided to fire Excel. Freeman declined to comment to The Athletic on Sunday and again on Monday. Casey Close, the senior agent at Excel, did not respond to requests for comment.
ESPN reported on Tuesday that Freeman had left Excel, but Freeman still would not publicly confirm it, describing the situation as “fluid”. At this point, it would be a shock if Freeman stayed with the agency. Maybe he’s just not ready, for whatever reason, to make the news official.
Freeman, 32, finally seems to understand he needs to move on, telling reporters on Tuesday “there has to be a closure.” tells me in an interview for Fox Sports on Saturday: “I’m not aiming for a closure. I don’t want to shut down something that made me so special for 15 years.” But to borrow a term commonly used by gamers, all parties involved have to “wear” it. One by one, here’s why:
the brave
Let’s start with Liberty Media ownership, which reported total Braves sales of $568 million for 2021, a season in which, ahem, Freeman helped propel the team to its first World Series title in March 25 years to lead.
Liberty Media and the Blue Jays’ parent company, Rogers Communications, are the only two major league owners that are publicly traded companies that are required to report earnings. The Braves’ success, both on the field and at Liberty’s own Battery development alongside Truist Park, prompted Liberty to set a second straight salary record, rising from $131.4 million on opening day in 2021 to 177, $8 million in 22 rose.
So why draw the line with Freeman?
That choice, it seemed, rested largely with Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations, who, despite Liberty’s recent generosity, does not operate with unlimited resources. The Braves are only ninth in the majors, even after their raise. When Anthopoulos Freeman offered a five-year, $135 million extension in August 2021 — $5 million more than the Cardinals gave to a arguably superior first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt — he might not have felt comfortable about it to go much further. Whether he upped the offer to $140 million when Freeman was Freeman is a matter of debate.
My belief — and the belief of a number of baseball agents and executives — is that Anthopoulos preferred to play things exactly the way they did, with the Braves playing against a younger, cheaper, sane replica of Freeman, Matt Olson, were traded. Is Olson as good as Freeman right now? Probably not. But his eight-year, $168 million contract covers his ages of between 28 and 35. Freeman’s contract with the Dodgers covers his campaigns from the ages of 32 to 37.
Olson cost the Braves four prospects in their athletics trade, but his $21 million average annual worth gave the team more payroll flexibility than Freeman’s $27 million, or $28 million per person. The Braves, who excel at scouting and player development, have made catcher Shea Langeliers the centerpiece of their deal with the A’s, in part because they had another young catcher, William Contreras, who is emerging as a potential star this season.
So Anthopoulos and the Braves could end up looking very good. Her fans had no problem hugging Olson, who grew up in Lilburn, Georgia. But Freeman was a hugely popular homegrown talent, a worthy heir to Hall of Famer Chipper Jones, exactly the kind of player who should spend his entire career with a team. If the Braves really wanted him, they didn’t push hard enough.
Excel
The emotions Freeman displayed in Atlanta made it clear that he is sensitive. He said he made it clear to Excel from the start of talks with the Braves that he wanted to stay in Atlanta. At this point, Excel’s mission should have been clear. Talk to other teams. Use as much leverage as possible. But end up getting the best possible deal with the Braves.
Freeman wanted six guaranteed years, or at least Excel wanted six guaranteed years for him. Excel can point to two superior offers from the underselling Rays — six years, $140 million or seven years, $150 million — as evidence the Braves haven’t put in enough effort, according to ESPN. But Excel should have known his client and how he would react if he left the Braves. If Freeman’s overwhelming priority was Atlanta, nothing else should have mattered.
Excel will collect commission on Freeman’s deal with the Dodgers, which at the standard baseball rate of 5 percent over the course of the deal would be $8.1 million. However, Freeman’s loss would mark the second high-profile departure of a newly signed free-agent client from the agency in the past two months. Second baseman Trevor Story, who signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Red Sox that became official March 20, joined Wasserman Baseball in late April.
Freeman had reason to trust Excel, who negotiated his eight-year, $135 million extension with the Braves in February 2014. The well-respected agency represents Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, as well as a slew of current stars, including Goldschmidt and Clayton Kershaw, Kyle Schwarber, George Springer and—er—current Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson, who is in his running year.
However, Excel should have anticipated Freeman’s reaction. The agency eventually secured a sixth guaranteed year from the Dodgers, but for what purpose? Freeman’s $162 million deal could be comparable in net value to the $135 million the Braves are known to have offered, given higher California tax rates and deferred payments in the contract. And according to sources, one of Freeman’s motives for leaving Excel would be to prevent the agency from touting his deal as its latest triumph.
Freddie Freeman
So who ran the show here anyway? Freeman doesn’t work for Excel; the agency works for him. And it’s Freeman’s fault, more than anyone else, if he didn’t end up exactly where he wanted to.
As much as he may have thought he made his wishes clear to Close and Victor Menocal, the Excel representative he usually communicated with, Freeman should have been more directly involved in the process. He’s not the first player to have been swayed by his agent aiming for the biggest contract for the most convenient landing spot. Nor would he have been the first player to overrule his agent, even if it meant less money for both parties.
That means Freddie is too annoyed.
The Dodgers weren’t exactly an unwelcome landing spot for Freeman, who hails from Orange County in Southern California. Freeman and his wife Chelsea have been spending the offseason at their oceanfront home in Corona Del Mar, an hour from LA. And the team has nine straight games postseason, an even more impressive run than the Braves’ four straight division titles.
Freeman, if he does leave Excel, would not need an agent for contract negotiations until his current contract expires, and an attorney or general manager can help him with confirmations and other matters. He will be fine although it should come as no surprise if his emotions caught the eye of his new team-mates last weekend.
Kershaw seemed to send a not-so-subtle message to Freeman, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “I hope we’re not second fiddle. Again, it’s a very special team.” However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts defended his new first baseman’s reaction, telling The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, “If anyone has a problem with that, that’s their business. It should not be a problem. This guy has helped us win countless games this year and he will continue to do so.”
Good enough, but this past weekend was less of a celebration and more of a realization of what went wrong. One player, one team and one agency, all savvy, combined to produce an unfortunate and unnecessary outcome. Too bitter, not sweet enough.
(Top Photo by Freddie Freeman: Bob Andres/Associated Press)