The Los Angeles Dodgers’ star first baseman Freddie Freeman continues to put the finishing touches to his MVP candidacy for the 2023 campaign. Freeman had two runs and a stolen base in an 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers while accomplishing a feat rarely seen for his position.

Freeman now has a total of 20 stolen bases this season to go with 26 home runs. The 2023 is only the 16th season in which a first baseman joined the 20-20 club. Also, there were only 10 players before Freeman who played 1B full-time and managed to achieve the feat.

“This is one thing I never thought I’d do in my career,” Freeman said about joining the 20-20 club. “First basemen usually aren’t the speed demons.”

Before 2023, Freeman only reached double digits in stolen bases twice in his career. He also never had more than 13 stolen bases in a single season.

The 34-year-old player also became the first player since 2009 and Brian Roberts to have 50 doubles and 20 stolen bases in a single season. He is also the only first baseman to ever reach this statline.

Freeman has been exceptional for the Dodgers this season, batting .355 in 148 games. His performances helped the Dodgers continue their reign in NL West, where they secured the division title with 13 games still left to play during the regular season.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers just added another impact player to their star-studded roster. On Friday, the team announced that they signed All-Star first-baseman Freddie Freeman to a six-year deal.

The Dodgers didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but reports indicate that Freeman will get $162 million over the next six years. The 32-year-old former MVP was one of the most coveted free agents left on the market this offseason.

Freddie Freeman previously spent 12 MLB seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He was considered the Braves’ legend and was one of the most important contributors to the franchise’s World Series run last season. However, the Braves opted not to resign Freeman and instead traded for All-Star Matt Olson.

The Dodgers were happy to pick up Freeman, who is still considered one of the best players at his position. He played 159 games in the 2021 regular season, hitting .300 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs. He earned his fifth All-Star appearance and made the All-MLB Second Team.

In Los Angeles, Freeman will have an opportunity to be a part of a powerhouse team that already has some world-class hitters like Mookie Betts and Will Smith. Before his arrival, the Dodgers were already favorites but now solidify their position as the team to beat in all of MLB.

“I don’t know if I’ve come across a guy, whether it be a trade or a call-up, that was as excited as Freddie Freeman was to be a Dodger,” said Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts. “He didn’t sound like a veteran on the phone, which is the best compliment I can give a player.”

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The Atlanta Braves are now officially out of Freddie Freeman sweepstakes. Instead of resigning the 2020’s NL MVP, the Braves chose to go all-in on All-Star Matt Olson, who they acquired from the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

The Braves paid a steep price to get Olson to Atlanta, parting ways with four of their top 16 prospects. The package includes highly-regarded outfielder Cristian Pache and catcher Shea Langeliers, who was the No. 9 pick in 2019.

One day later, the organization doubled down on their commitment to Olsen as their first baseman of the future. They signed the 27-year-old Atlanta-native to a massive eight-year extension that runs through 2029 MLB season. The deal is worth $168 million and includes a $20 million option in 2030.

Matt Olson spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Athletics. During his time with the franchise, he posted a batting average of .252 while hitting 142 homers and adding 373 RBIs. He made his first All-Star appearance last season and has two Golden Glove Awards on his resume.

With Olsen on board, it makes no sense for Atlanta to pursue Freeman anymore. The 32-year-old player is considered a franchise legend and was one of the main contributors in the Braves’ run to the World Series title in 2021. But despite this, general manager Alex Anthopoulos obviously felt the cost of keeping him on board was too much compared to alternatives.

Freeman is still expected to command one of the biggest deals in the free agency with multiple teams trying to sign him. The list reportedly includes the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the New York Yankees.

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After claiming their first World Series since 1995, the Atlanta Braves don’t intend to change the winning formula. This includes making sure their All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman remains with the franchise for 2022 and beyond.

Freeman, who spent his entire MLB career in Atlanta, has become a free agent after the franchise failed to lock him on a long-term extension. The Braves responded by making him a one-year qualifying offer worth $18.4 million but won’t stop there.

According to Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, the team wants to keep Freeman and has every intention to sign him to a deal.

“Look, he’s a free agent. By rule, obviously I can’t say a whole lot, other than what I’ve said in the past. We love him, he’s great, we want him to stay, he wants to stay,” Anthopoulos said on Sunday via ESPN. “Our goal is to sign him and keep him a Brave.”

Freeman is coming off a productive season that saw him posting a .300 batting average in the regular season while hitting 31 homers and having 83 RBIs. The 32-year-old followed this up with a great campaign in the playoffs, launching five home runs and batting .304 throughout the postseason.

His stellar performances in 2021 positions Freddie Freeman as one of the most coveted free agents during the offseason. But despite this, it appears that Freeman isn’t too keen on leaving the Braves.

“I think everyone knows how my heart is,” Freeman said last week when talking about his free agency. “It means everything to put on that Braves uniform every day. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”

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The Atlanta Braves couldn’t close out the World Series in front of their home crowd, but that didn’t affect their ability to take care of business in Game 6. The Braves routed the Houston Astros with a dominant 7-0 outing on Tuesday night to claim their first title since 1995.

The Braves took the lead at the top of the third when outfielder Jorge Soler hit a three-run 446-foot homer. This was Soler’s third home run of the World Series and the one that probably clinched him the World Series MVP honors.

At the top of the fifth, the Braves added to their lead with yet another home run. This time it was shortstop Dansby Swanson who hit a 411 feet homer off the pitch by Houston’s reliever Cristian Javier.

First baseman Freddie Freeman then proceeded to close out the game for Atlanta. Freeman first doubled to deep left center and allowed Soler to score at the top of the fifth before hitting a 416-foot home run at the top of the seventh to set the final score of 7-0.

The Braves starter Max Fried also had a huge game, picking up six strikeouts in the first six innings. He also only allowed four singles while finishing the contest with a 4.09 ERA.

“We hit every pothole, every bump you could possibly hit this year, and somehow the car still made it onto the other side,” Freeman said after the game. “It’s just an incredible group.”

The fourth title was a long time coming for the Atlanta Braves. Since going all the way in 1995, the franchise returned to the postseason 16 times and made two unsuccessful World Series trips before finally breaking through in 2021.

The Astros, on the other hand, still only have one World Series title to show after making it to the finals three times in five years.

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The All-MLB First Team for 2020 was announced on Wednesday, and it was the Atlanta Braves who had most honorees among all clubs in the league.

The Braves have three players on the first team, with slugger Freddie Freeman, reigning NL MVP, joined by teammates Marcell Ozuna and Max Fried.

The San Diego Padres follow with two players selected in the first team, with third baseman Manny Machado receiving his first career All-MLB nod, as well as rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.

NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati Reds) headlines the pitching part of All-MLB First Team, while the starting rotation is rounded by Fried, AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber (Cleveland Indians), Yu Darvish (Chicago Cubs), and Jacob deGrom (NY Mets).

World Series champions LA Dodgers have Mookie Betts as a lone selected player, who is joined by Mike Trout (LA Angels) and Juan Soto (Washington Nationals) in the outfield.

The remainder of 2020 All-MLB First Team features relievers Nick Anderson (Tampa Bay Rays) and Liam Hendriks (Oakland A’s), second baseman DJ LeMahieu (NY Yankees), and catcher Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals). 

The All-MLB First Team was selected by votes of fans, media, former players, and MLB officials.

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Atlanta Braves’ first baseman Freddie Freeman experienced a tough start to the 2020 MLB season, contracting COVID-19 and racing with time to be with his teammates on Opening Day. Luckily for Freeman and the Braves, he managed to recover in time and go on to produce an impressive campaign that has now been rewarded with National League MVP Award.

The league announced on Thursday that Freeman finished first in the NL MVP voting, receiving 28 out of 30 first-place votes and 410 points out of a possible 420. It made sense that the 31-year-old All-Star gets dominant support for his case considering how dominant he was in 2020.

Despite overcoming COVID-19, Freeman played all 60 games in the shortened MLB season and batted career-high .341. He also added 13 home runs and 53 RBIs while leading the league in doubles with 23.

Freeman became the sixth member of the Braves’ organization to win an MVP award and first since 1999 and Chipper Jones.

“At Truist Park, when you walk down the hall of the clubhouse, all the MVPs are on the wall of the clubhouse, and the Cy Youngs,” said Freeman. “You think, that’d be cool to win that someday… For me to achieve that is still kind of hard to put into words.”

En route to NL MVP Award, Freddie Freeman topped LA Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado. Betts, who led the Dodgers to a World Series win in the postseason, received the remaining two first-place votes and finished with 268 points.

Machado edged out his teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. to finish third in the voting, receiving 221 points.

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Star Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman became the biggest name in Major League Baseball to test positive for coronavirus so far this month, the team revealed on Saturday.

Freeman, who fell ill on Thursday and underwent testing for COVID-19 that night, received a positive result and was immediately put into the league’s quarantine protocol for all players who test positive.

The four-time All-Star and 2019 Silver Slugger Award winner has been dealing with body aches, headaches, chills, and a high fever ever since falling ill according to his wife, Chelsea.

Braves manager Brian Snitker revealed that Freeman, along with pitchers Touki Toussaint and Will Smith as well as infielder Pete Kozma, has tested positive for the virus.

Snitker said that “It will be a while before (the Braves) get Freeman back,” as he must test negative at least twice before returning to action.

With the season set to kick off in late July, it remains unclear at this point if Atlanta will be able to count on Freeman’s presence in its lineup in the first portion of the season.

At this time, fans around baseball are simply hoping that Freeman recovers from the illness quickly and that it won’t be too long until he is able to return to the field.

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Atlanta Braves first baseman was scratched from his team’s lineup in a Tuesday exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins after suffering right elbow discomfort.

Freeman struggled with bone spurs in the elbow last season, eventually undergoing surgery to remedy the problem after the conclusion of the postseason. The October 18th surgery removed three fragmented loose bodies as well as multiple bone spur formations from his right elbow joint.

Despite reporting to Spring Training “feeling 100%,” Freeman now appears to have suffered a setback in his battle against elbow problems.

Braves manager Brian Snitker tried to downplay the news, saying, “The doctor said it’s not an uncommon thing.(…) We’re glad it’s now rather than later.”

Freeman, a four-time All Star who batted .295/.389/.549 with 38 home runs and 121 RBI for the NL East Champions last season, is expected to sit out at least a few days to attempt to reduce the inflammation and discomfort in his troublesome elbow.

The Braves hope that their star first baseman will make a quick recovery and be ready to go for the start of the season. He is expected to be the #3 hitter in the Braves’ lineup, one of the most fearsome in the league.

In the meantime, Yonder Alonso is expected to fill in for the 30-year-old in the Spring Training lineups until Freeman is ready to go again.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ star first baseman Freddie Freeman continues to put the finishing touches to his MVP candidacy for the 2023 campaign. Freeman had two runs and a stolen base in an 8-3 win over the Detroit Tigers while accomplishing a feat rarely seen for his position.

Freeman now has a total of 20 stolen bases this season to go with 26 home runs. The 2023 is only the 16th season in which a first baseman joined the 20-20 club. Also, there were only 10 players before Freeman who played 1B full-time and managed to achieve the feat.

“This is one thing I never thought I’d do in my career,” Freeman said about joining the 20-20 club. “First basemen usually aren’t the speed demons.”

Before 2023, Freeman only reached double digits in stolen bases twice in his career. He also never had more than 13 stolen bases in a single season.

The 34-year-old player also became the first player since 2009 and Brian Roberts to have 50 doubles and 20 stolen bases in a single season. He is also the only first baseman to ever reach this statline.

Freeman has been exceptional for the Dodgers this season, batting .355 in 148 games. His performances helped the Dodgers continue their reign in NL West, where they secured the division title with 13 games still left to play during the regular season.

The post Freddie Freeman on Joining 20-20 Club: “This is One Thing I Never Thought I’d Do in My Career” appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Dodgers just added another impact player to their star-studded roster. On Friday, the team announced that they signed All-Star first-baseman Freddie Freeman to a six-year deal.

The Dodgers didn’t disclose the financial terms of the agreement, but reports indicate that Freeman will get $162 million over the next six years. The 32-year-old former MVP was one of the most coveted free agents left on the market this offseason.

Freddie Freeman previously spent 12 MLB seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He was considered the Braves’ legend and was one of the most important contributors to the franchise’s World Series run last season. However, the Braves opted not to resign Freeman and instead traded for All-Star Matt Olson.

The Dodgers were happy to pick up Freeman, who is still considered one of the best players at his position. He played 159 games in the 2021 regular season, hitting .300 with 31 home runs and 83 RBIs. He earned his fifth All-Star appearance and made the All-MLB Second Team.

In Los Angeles, Freeman will have an opportunity to be a part of a powerhouse team that already has some world-class hitters like Mookie Betts and Will Smith. Before his arrival, the Dodgers were already favorites but now solidify their position as the team to beat in all of MLB.

“I don’t know if I’ve come across a guy, whether it be a trade or a call-up, that was as excited as Freddie Freeman was to be a Dodger,” said Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts. “He didn’t sound like a veteran on the phone, which is the best compliment I can give a player.”

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The Atlanta Braves are now officially out of Freddie Freeman sweepstakes. Instead of resigning the 2020’s NL MVP, the Braves chose to go all-in on All-Star Matt Olson, who they acquired from the Oakland Athletics on Monday.

The Braves paid a steep price to get Olson to Atlanta, parting ways with four of their top 16 prospects. The package includes highly-regarded outfielder Cristian Pache and catcher Shea Langeliers, who was the No. 9 pick in 2019.

One day later, the organization doubled down on their commitment to Olsen as their first baseman of the future. They signed the 27-year-old Atlanta-native to a massive eight-year extension that runs through 2029 MLB season. The deal is worth $168 million and includes a $20 million option in 2030.

Matt Olson spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Athletics. During his time with the franchise, he posted a batting average of .252 while hitting 142 homers and adding 373 RBIs. He made his first All-Star appearance last season and has two Golden Glove Awards on his resume.

With Olsen on board, it makes no sense for Atlanta to pursue Freeman anymore. The 32-year-old player is considered a franchise legend and was one of the main contributors in the Braves’ run to the World Series title in 2021. But despite this, general manager Alex Anthopoulos obviously felt the cost of keeping him on board was too much compared to alternatives.

Freeman is still expected to command one of the biggest deals in the free agency with multiple teams trying to sign him. The list reportedly includes the Toronto Blue Jays, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the New York Yankees.

The post Braves Acquire 1B Matt Olson From A’s, Sign Him to 8-Year, $168 Million Extension appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After claiming their first World Series since 1995, the Atlanta Braves don’t intend to change the winning formula. This includes making sure their All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman remains with the franchise for 2022 and beyond.

Freeman, who spent his entire MLB career in Atlanta, has become a free agent after the franchise failed to lock him on a long-term extension. The Braves responded by making him a one-year qualifying offer worth $18.4 million but won’t stop there.

According to Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, the team wants to keep Freeman and has every intention to sign him to a deal.

“Look, he’s a free agent. By rule, obviously I can’t say a whole lot, other than what I’ve said in the past. We love him, he’s great, we want him to stay, he wants to stay,” Anthopoulos said on Sunday via ESPN. “Our goal is to sign him and keep him a Brave.”

Freeman is coming off a productive season that saw him posting a .300 batting average in the regular season while hitting 31 homers and having 83 RBIs. The 32-year-old followed this up with a great campaign in the playoffs, launching five home runs and batting .304 throughout the postseason.

His stellar performances in 2021 positions Freddie Freeman as one of the most coveted free agents during the offseason. But despite this, it appears that Freeman isn’t too keen on leaving the Braves.

“I think everyone knows how my heart is,” Freeman said last week when talking about his free agency. “It means everything to put on that Braves uniform every day. Hopefully I can continue to do that.”

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The Atlanta Braves couldn’t close out the World Series in front of their home crowd, but that didn’t affect their ability to take care of business in Game 6. The Braves routed the Houston Astros with a dominant 7-0 outing on Tuesday night to claim their first title since 1995.

The Braves took the lead at the top of the third when outfielder Jorge Soler hit a three-run 446-foot homer. This was Soler’s third home run of the World Series and the one that probably clinched him the World Series MVP honors.

At the top of the fifth, the Braves added to their lead with yet another home run. This time it was shortstop Dansby Swanson who hit a 411 feet homer off the pitch by Houston’s reliever Cristian Javier.

First baseman Freddie Freeman then proceeded to close out the game for Atlanta. Freeman first doubled to deep left center and allowed Soler to score at the top of the fifth before hitting a 416-foot home run at the top of the seventh to set the final score of 7-0.

The Braves starter Max Fried also had a huge game, picking up six strikeouts in the first six innings. He also only allowed four singles while finishing the contest with a 4.09 ERA.

“We hit every pothole, every bump you could possibly hit this year, and somehow the car still made it onto the other side,” Freeman said after the game. “It’s just an incredible group.”

The fourth title was a long time coming for the Atlanta Braves. Since going all the way in 1995, the franchise returned to the postseason 16 times and made two unsuccessful World Series trips before finally breaking through in 2021.

The Astros, on the other hand, still only have one World Series title to show after making it to the finals three times in five years.

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The All-MLB First Team for 2020 was announced on Wednesday, and it was the Atlanta Braves who had most honorees among all clubs in the league.

The Braves have three players on the first team, with slugger Freddie Freeman, reigning NL MVP, joined by teammates Marcell Ozuna and Max Fried.

The San Diego Padres follow with two players selected in the first team, with third baseman Manny Machado receiving his first career All-MLB nod, as well as rookie shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr.

NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati Reds) headlines the pitching part of All-MLB First Team, while the starting rotation is rounded by Fried, AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber (Cleveland Indians), Yu Darvish (Chicago Cubs), and Jacob deGrom (NY Mets).

World Series champions LA Dodgers have Mookie Betts as a lone selected player, who is joined by Mike Trout (LA Angels) and Juan Soto (Washington Nationals) in the outfield.

The remainder of 2020 All-MLB First Team features relievers Nick Anderson (Tampa Bay Rays) and Liam Hendriks (Oakland A’s), second baseman DJ LeMahieu (NY Yankees), and catcher Salvador Perez (Kansas City Royals). 

The All-MLB First Team was selected by votes of fans, media, former players, and MLB officials.

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Atlanta Braves’ first baseman Freddie Freeman experienced a tough start to the 2020 MLB season, contracting COVID-19 and racing with time to be with his teammates on Opening Day. Luckily for Freeman and the Braves, he managed to recover in time and go on to produce an impressive campaign that has now been rewarded with National League MVP Award.

The league announced on Thursday that Freeman finished first in the NL MVP voting, receiving 28 out of 30 first-place votes and 410 points out of a possible 420. It made sense that the 31-year-old All-Star gets dominant support for his case considering how dominant he was in 2020.

Despite overcoming COVID-19, Freeman played all 60 games in the shortened MLB season and batted career-high .341. He also added 13 home runs and 53 RBIs while leading the league in doubles with 23.

Freeman became the sixth member of the Braves’ organization to win an MVP award and first since 1999 and Chipper Jones.

“At Truist Park, when you walk down the hall of the clubhouse, all the MVPs are on the wall of the clubhouse, and the Cy Youngs,” said Freeman. “You think, that’d be cool to win that someday… For me to achieve that is still kind of hard to put into words.”

En route to NL MVP Award, Freddie Freeman topped LA Dodgers’ Mookie Betts and San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado. Betts, who led the Dodgers to a World Series win in the postseason, received the remaining two first-place votes and finished with 268 points.

Machado edged out his teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. to finish third in the voting, receiving 221 points.

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Star Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman became the biggest name in Major League Baseball to test positive for coronavirus so far this month, the team revealed on Saturday.

Freeman, who fell ill on Thursday and underwent testing for COVID-19 that night, received a positive result and was immediately put into the league’s quarantine protocol for all players who test positive.

The four-time All-Star and 2019 Silver Slugger Award winner has been dealing with body aches, headaches, chills, and a high fever ever since falling ill according to his wife, Chelsea.

Braves manager Brian Snitker revealed that Freeman, along with pitchers Touki Toussaint and Will Smith as well as infielder Pete Kozma, has tested positive for the virus.

Snitker said that “It will be a while before (the Braves) get Freeman back,” as he must test negative at least twice before returning to action.

With the season set to kick off in late July, it remains unclear at this point if Atlanta will be able to count on Freeman’s presence in its lineup in the first portion of the season.

At this time, fans around baseball are simply hoping that Freeman recovers from the illness quickly and that it won’t be too long until he is able to return to the field.

The post Star Braves 1B Freddie Freeman Diagnosed with Coronavirus appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Atlanta Braves first baseman was scratched from his team’s lineup in a Tuesday exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins after suffering right elbow discomfort.

Freeman struggled with bone spurs in the elbow last season, eventually undergoing surgery to remedy the problem after the conclusion of the postseason. The October 18th surgery removed three fragmented loose bodies as well as multiple bone spur formations from his right elbow joint.

Despite reporting to Spring Training “feeling 100%,” Freeman now appears to have suffered a setback in his battle against elbow problems.

Braves manager Brian Snitker tried to downplay the news, saying, “The doctor said it’s not an uncommon thing.(…) We’re glad it’s now rather than later.”

Freeman, a four-time All Star who batted .295/.389/.549 with 38 home runs and 121 RBI for the NL East Champions last season, is expected to sit out at least a few days to attempt to reduce the inflammation and discomfort in his troublesome elbow.

The Braves hope that their star first baseman will make a quick recovery and be ready to go for the start of the season. He is expected to be the #3 hitter in the Braves’ lineup, one of the most fearsome in the league.

In the meantime, Yonder Alonso is expected to fill in for the 30-year-old in the Spring Training lineups until Freeman is ready to go again.

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