USA TODAY International Edition
Atlanta plunks $ 168M for Olson
Series champs move on from ’ 20 MVP Freeman
NORTH PORT, Fla. – Just a few minutes after noon on Tuesday, Matt Olson strode into the Atlanta Braves clubhouse looking like any other twentysomething – albeit with an undeniably athletic appearance and the perfunctory designer backpack – and met his new co- workers, a simple act necessitated by events thoroughly out of his hands.
“Matt. Nice to meet you,” he said to reliever Will Smith. Dansby Swanson, the Braves shortstop and his almost college roommate, playfully headbutted Olson and then went in for the bro hug.
This stranger in a strange land then moved to the corner of the clubhouse once occupied by Freddie Freeman.
Instead, 38- year- old pitcher Charlie Morton, holding court with three staffers blocking Freeman’s empty stall, rose eagerly to his feet.
“Charlie,” the 2021 Game 1 World Series starter said, by way of introduction, before motioning to the pitching coach. “And this is Rick Kranitz.”
A few feet away, clubhouse director Calvin Minasian quietly toted an Oakland Athletics bag to an unmarked stall with Olson’s new white- and- red No. 28 Braves jersey hanging. He removed Olson’s equipment and meticulously arranged it in the stall before removing the green and gold bag from the room. Just like that, the page was turned. Freeman, the 33- year- old potential Hall of Famer who came to Atlanta a quiet 20- year- old and left a five- time All- Star, franchise icon and World Series champion, won’t work here anymore. He will be replaced by a Gold Glover who turns 28 in two weeks and who, as a high school junior in suburban Atlanta, revered Freeman when he debuted with the Braves.
Freeman’s departure was not announced, but rather contextually derived from the moment the Braves shipped four top minor leaguers, most notably catcher of the future Shea Langeliers, to the A’s for Olson, who capped the most frenetic 24 hours of his professional career by shipping west from A’s camp in Arizona to Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Oh, and on the way, signed an eightyear, $ 168 million extension to ensure his tenure as a Brave will extend beyond the next two seasons.
It was a stunning 24 hours for all parties, proof of MLB’s efficiency yet also its enduring ability to reinvent itself.
Surely, some Braves fans will never get over the loss of Freeman, the 2020 National League MVP who hit 271 home runs and then, fittingly, crushed one more in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series, a fitting coda to Atlanta’s first championship since 1995.
Freeman debuted with the Braves in 2010 and Olson blossomed into a 2012 second- round pick by the A’s, who signed him away from Vanderbilt. His roommate was to be Swanson.
Monday afternoon into Tuesday morning, the paths of Freeman and Olson and Swanson and others became entwined forever, and the new guy knows he can’t avoid the comparisons to his predecessor – “big lefty hitter, righty thrower.”
Freeman, somewhat stunningly, will not be a Brave for life. Instead, he’ll be replaced by a guy who long dreamed of being that guy. The wildest day of his career made it a reality, a process that began when the A’s told him not to join his teammates for their first workout of this lockout- shortened spring training, that there was something going on.
“It started to get a little tenser then,” said Olson, who joked that agent BB Abbott was prepared to interrupt his and Nicole’s November wedding with a trade announcement. “This past week, with the lockout, getting out to Arizona to be with the A’s, being on pins and needles a bit, and finally something happening and getting here, it’s definitely been a whirlwind. But I’m happy it’s happening and that this is the place.
“It was a whirlwind afterwards. It was a quick decision, but every box is checked here. Winning a World Series, a great young core, my hometown, my family still works here, getting a long deal done.”
Olson said his parents are “pretty stoked” and “extremely happy and proud” about the deal, and the short commute to Truist Park for ballgames.
Their son should excel, as he’s still in his prime: a .910 OPS for the A’s in 2021, 5.7 Wins Above Replacement that ranked seventh among position players, and two Gold Gloves for perhaps inarguably the best defensive first baseman in the game.
Yet his parents almost certainly will hear boos as well, and unrequited love for Freeman. That the Braves moved on so quickly speaks to their ruthless efficiency in sticking to a budget provided by corporate owner Liberty Media – but also their faith in Olson.
Hours before Olson’s quiet entry, the Braves clubhouse was still a bit woozy from the 1- 2 punch of this trade – most notably the departure of their linchpin. Freeman was as amiable as he was productive, with a quiet ability to hold teammates to account while producing a .893 OPS over 12 seasons.
Their workout had concluded when an emotional Cristian Pache came into the clubhouse, startled that he’d been traded. His teammates comforted him and finally asked, to where?
“Oakland.”
Uh- oh.
The Olson- to- Atlanta, Freeman departure was a never- ending trade rumor, that spanned the pre- lockout transaction frenzy, smoldered as both sides sat on the sidelines during the 99day work stoppage, and went into hyperspace mode in the five days since baseball reopened.
Still, it stung.
“It was surprising for the whole team,” says All- Star second baseman Ozzie Albies. “Everybody ( was) in shock like, ‘ We’re not going to sign Freddie.’ ”
Swanson, who like Olson grew up in suburban Atlanta a Braves fan, was similarly jolted, yet heartened by the return package.
“I think the easiest way to describe it is it’s fine to feel two different things at once,” says Swanson, who is entering the final year before free agency himself. “Obviously, part of me is really excited for Matt to be here. We have a little bit of a history. If there’s anyone to be able to man first base other than Freddie, it would be him.
“But also part of you is disappointed and frustrated that Freddie is not going to be here anymore. We were good friends, obviously, and really enjoyed our time together in the clubhouse. Just one of those things that you always know it’s a possibility going into an offseason, but when it happens, it still hits home a little bit.”
It didn’t help that the Braves saw Freeman grow up before their eyes, marry his wife Chelsea, have three children and wear his emotions, his heart, on his sleeve. Freeman gave much of himself to the Braves – as they rewarded him with an eight- year, $ 135 million deal just a year- plus into his career – and was revered for it.
That is the shadow Olson must navigate, which he says “won’t affect what I’ll do.” Braves fans are a typically forgiving bunch, though they like what they like, and they loved themselves some Freddie Freeman.
That’s not to say they won’t fall in love with the new guy.
“I hope the fans welcome him with open arms,” reliever Tyler Matzek says of Olson. “I hope he doesn’t feel he needs to, but he has big shoes to fill. He just goes out there and does what he needs to do – he’s an All- Star, too – he’ll be in a good spot.”