Olson looks to fill the shoes of Freeman as the Braves' first baseman
By Preston Hall | Sports writer
The deal is done, and the Atlanta Braves now have their new first baseman as Matt Olson was traded from the Oakland Athletics on Monday.
Freddie Freeman was with the Braves’ first baseman for 12 years; that is, for his entire MLB career. Freeman, 32 years old and the 2020 National League MVP, agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 16. In the postseason, after the Braves won the 2021 World Series, most assumed that Freeman would resign with the Braves but neither side could come to an agreement on the terms of a new contract.
Freeman, a two-time Gold Glove winner and clubhouse leader, looked to the free agency market for a large contract. Freeman was reportedly looking for a six-year deal at roughly $180 million, and the Braves struggled with the six years as that would have his contract ending when Freeman was 38. He ended up agreeing to six years for $162 million from the Dodgers, perhaps the Braves’ fiercest rival in the National League these days.
For the fans having a player like Freeman leave the franchise is hard. The amount of time spent between the two is hard to overlook. Freeman has been with the Braves since the end of Chipper Jones’s time and even when the team was one of the worst in the league. Now the lasting memory Braves fans will have of Freeman was his last at bat in the uniform when he hit a home run in the World Series as well as catching the last out in Game Six to clinch the championship.
The Olson trade saw four players being moved from the Braves’ farm system to the Athletics. The traded players were outfielder Cristian Pache, catcher Shea Langeliers and two low-A pitchers from the Augusta Green jackets, Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes (both right-handers).
The day after trading for Olson the Braves wasted no time in signing him to a long-term contract. Olson who is from Atlanta, agreed to an 8-year $168 million contract. Olson, 27, will finish this contract when he is 35 years old. This is a much friendlier option for the Braves going forward.
In 2021 Olson hit for a .271 average with 39 home runs in 565 at bats while Freeman hit for a .300 average and 31 home runs in 600 at bats for the Braves. Olson put these numbers up in Oakland, which is not historically a hitter’s park, and now moves to Atlanta, where the stadium is much more of a hitter’s friendly park. Looking at both Freeman and Olson’s career statistics, you will see that Freeman has played a little more than double the time of Olson and the numbers are very similar. This is great news for Braves’ fans on the fence about Olson. In 5,767 at-bats Freeman has racked up 271 home runs and 941 RBIs with a career average of .295. Olson in his 2,048 career at-bats has 142 home runs, 373 RBIs with a career batting average of .252.
Both Olson and Freeman are regarded as two of the top three first basemen in MLB, and with Freeman looking for a larger contract the Braves wanted no part of having to start the season without the first baseman position taken care of. Now that the first baseman position is filled it is time for the Braves to start their title defense.
The Braves open their season on April 7 versus the Cincinnati Reds at 7:20 p.m. at Truist Park. Freeman will not be forgotten, but Olson is more than adequate in replacing Freeman.
Contact Preston Hall at phall@augusta.edu.
