Freddie Freeman

[Robextend]

It was kind of strange to me too, but when I thought further it made a little more sense.

Matt Olson is a very good player in his own right and might not have peaked yet. He is 5 years younger, a better defender (maybe the best first baseman defensively in MLB) and an Atlanta native.

Freeman is 32 and depending on how much annually he wanted and for how long - as painful as it might be for Braves fans...this might be a good move for them.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Well, they just paid up for Matty O - $168 mil !

[Snapolit1]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

Well, they just paid up for Matty O - $168 mil !

Yeah, they must have a lot of faith in Olson . . . but still. I'm a Mets fans and used to hating on Braves. . . . but in the last few years this guy has been one of the mostly widely respected faces in the sport. Just seems like a really great guy. Almost like a David Wright to Mets fans. Whole thing just seems odd to me. I mean would it kill the GM to have a presser and say we love the guy and he's a wonderful player and person but we just decided to go in another direction?

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Yeah, they must have a lot of faith in Olson . . . but still. I'm a Mets fans and used to hating on Braves. . . . but in the last few years this guy has been one of the mostly widely respected faces in the sport. Just seems like a really great guy. Almost like a David Wright to Mets fans. Whole thing just seems odd to me. I mean would it kill the GM to have a presser and say we love the guy and he's a wonderful player and person but we just decided to go in another direction?

I totally agree, Steve. It does seem odd.

I'm also a Mets fan–I'd be curious to hear how Braves fans feel.

[Cliff Bowman]

I'm sure the Braves gave him their max offer and he said no, he could get more from the Dodgers or Yankees. What do you want them to do? The problem I see is the prospects the Braves gave up for Olson, the Braves got burned royally on the prospects they gave the Cardinals in 03 for J. D. Drew and the prospects they gave the Rangers for Teixeira in 07, but at least in this case they will be able to keep Olson for several years.