On the heels of the stunning departure of the Braves in free agency, form the NL MVP Freddy Freeman He fired his old agents at Excel Sports Management, ESPN’s Buster Olney reports. Freeman is currently listed as a self-represented in the MLB Central Database, and according to John Heyman of the New York Post (Twitter link), the MLBPA sent an email to agents asking them not to contact Freeman — a common occurrence when a player is in the process of changing representation.
However, Freeman does not definitively distinguish things. The Dodger slugger released a statement to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman indicating that he has not yet fully committed to sharing methods with his reps (Twitter link):
This past weekend in Atlanta was a very emotional time for me and my family. I’m working on some issues with my old proxies in Excel. My representation remains in a flexible mode and I will update if necessary.
This isn’t an outright dismissal of the report but at least it leaves the door open to mending the relationship and staying in place. Freeman largely delayed his statement when taking up the topic with Los Angeles winning reporters (including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register And the Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times). The five-time All-Star said he “learned a lot” about the free agent process after speaking with “the other side” — likely a reference to his conversation after signing with Atlanta baseball operations chief Alex Anthopoulos — but called it “time to move on and focus on Win championships with the Dodgers.”
Olney reports that the timing of the negotiations that emerged from the league shutdown was particularly frustrating for Freeman, who had a five-year and $135 million permanent offer from the Braves once the transaction freeze was included. Many opponents from the Freeman camp failed to reach a deal, and the Braves pivoted to get/extend Matt Olson – A sequence that reportedly shocked Freeman. Olney’s article goes into more detail about the alleged sequence of negotiations for those who are curious about the alleged details.
The reports and Freeman’s statement come on the heels of an emotional weekend series that saw Freeman return to Atlanta for the first time since signing a six-year, $162 million deferred contract with the Dodgers. Freeman was assigned to address the media at a press conference there, but upon entering the room, he had to get out and try to collect himself. Ostensibly emotional Freeman fought back tears as he confessed his lifelong love to the Braves organization despite signing elsewhere in free agency. He was emotional upon receiving his World Championship ring from manager Brian Snicker as well, understandably choked up when the Atlanta faithful showered him with a standing ovation as he climbed to the plate in his first hit of the series.
Whether Freeman stays with Excel or actually hires a new cast doesn’t make much of an impact on most fans moving forward – although it obviously gets a lot of attention for those in the industry. He has represented Excel Freeman throughout his career, negotiating an eight-year, $135 million contract extension that still stands as the largest contract signed by a player in three to four years of Major League service time despite being signed back in 2014.
Excel represents dozens of top players, including Freeman’s former teammate and free agent, Dansby Swanson. When Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution was asked if Freeman’s story might make him think twice about his agency, Swanson replied that he would never quit Excel and wouldn’t let any decision Freeman makes affect his acting choices (Twitter link).
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