The Atlanta Braves' organizational teardown is not leaving anyone safe, including star first baseman Freddie Freeman.
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Braves Continue Shopping Young Stars
Sunday, Nov. 15
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the Braves' willingness to shop Freeman was “the talk of the (Arizona) Fall League."
Freeman, 26, hit .276/.370/.471 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI last season. He was limited to 118 games because of injuries, breaking a streak of four straight years with 147 games played. Still, when in the lineup, Freeman was one of a select few bright spots for an Atlanta team that dropped 95 games.
Those struggles look to be the first year of a multiyear rebuild. The Braves shipped 26-year-old Andrelton Simmons, perhaps MLB's best defensive shortstop, to the Los Angeles Angels on Nov. 12 for a package that included Erick Aybar. Trading Freeman immediately after would send a disconcerting sign to fans who expected the young pair to be part of the team's next run at contention.
Simmons is under contract through the 2020 season, while Freeman's $135 million deal ends a year later. At the time, it looked like the Braves were signing Freeman and Simmons as proactive moves to keep their best young players in-house.
As it stands, it appears those contracts are just being used to make their young players more attractive in trade packages.
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