2021 SEASON

Don't we already have one of these that we’re already overpaying for? Our guru pitching coaches didn’t seem to do much for David Price.

If they’re going to throw this guy out there every five days, we’re going to need a helluva lot more offense than we so inconsistently showed in 2021.

GO DODGERS!!!

Price is about the only player I'd get rid of. He had I think one great season and the rest have been mediocre at best.  And now Heaney is a Dodger?  Please wake me from my nightmare!  

Those are just things we're going to have to get used to unfortunately. Everyone goes on the IL nowadays for every sundry injury. Teams carry more pitchers because they go to the pen so often. Players are juggled from position to position. Versatility is prized way more than expertise at a single position. 

He'll be back better than ever!

We could sure use both pitchers in the rotation!  The question is, who do we trade?  In the past,  we've acquired some good players via three way trade and it's cost us minnimumly.  While we await Dustin's full healing and Bauer's fate for next year, we have to shore up the rotation.  Last year, we had eight pitchers to choose from to fill out the rotation.  I hope we can unload Price.  I'd hate to lose Pepiot, Miller or Knack.  We already lost Gray last year in the Scherzer trade.  

Freddie Freeman leave the Braves? Five potential suitors if first baseman pulls free agent surprise

Atlanta is the favorite to keep its franchise cornerstone, but there's plenty of interest around Freeman

R.J. Anderson

If there was one top free agent whose destination seemed apparent heading into the offseason, it was Freddie Freeman. The veteran first baseman, long a fixture with the Atlanta Braves, still seems unlikely to leave town just weeks after helping the franchise win its first World Series championship in more than two decades.

There is a difference between "improbable" and "impossible," however, and that difference is worth remembering until Freeman puts his pen to paper bearing the Braves' letterhead. Besides, Freeman may owe it to himself to feign interest in other clubs, even if it's simply a negotiating ploy to close the $65 million gap between his desired deal and Atlanta's proposal, as reported by USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

We here at CBS Sports are nothing if not the messy, speculative type. As such, we wanted to take a swing at highlighting five other teams who could get involved on Freeman if talks with the Braves fail to progress at an acceptable pace.

Before we go any further, here's what CBS Sports wrote about Freeman when we ranked him as the fifth best free agent available on the market:

It's hard to imagine the Braves allowing Freeman to leave. Still, we're including him for posterity's sake. Freeman is a sensational hitter who hasn't posted an OPS+ of less than 130 since he was a 22-year-old in 2012. He's also a mighty fine first baseman, and he's become a bastion of durability as of late: over the last four years, he's appeared in 539 of the Braves' 545 games (that's 98.9 percent, for those without access to a calculator). It's to be seen what kind of term Freeman seeks, but on paper he seems like someone who should age gracefully.

Now, onto the speculation. (Do note the teams are ranked in order of perceived likelihood.)
Los Angeles Angels
3. Los Angeles Angels

General manager Perry Minasian is familiar with Freeman from their shared days with the Braves organization, and owner Arte Moreno loves him a big-time free-agent signing. Even so, the Angels would seem unlikely to prioritize Freeman to starting pitching given they had Jared Walsh on hand. Plus, Moreno might have reservations about locking in a first baseman to a long-term deal given how Albert Pujols' time with the organization played out.

Los Angeles DodgersThe Dodgers are similar to the Giants in the respects that they have to replace a number of notable players and that they tend to favor protean defenders. Still, the Dodgers under Andrew Friedman's watch have never shied away from adding elite talent whenever and however they can. Freeman certainly qualifies, and the Dodgers' inherent flexibility could allow them to fold him into the lineup if they so desire.


www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/freemfr01.shtml

Yeah I know!  Moreno has spent hundreds of millions on mashers like Rendon and Trout but has neglected to shore up the pitching, which ranked 22nd in the bigs last year.  The team ranked 10th in runs scored which is great, but any fan of the game knows pitching is like 82% of the game.  They did lock up ShowTime, who both hits and pitches better than most, but one great pitcher does not a playoff team make.  Trout and Ohtani are the top two players in the game, yet the team finished way back, in 4th place, 18 games out and a -81 run differential.  If not for the Padres' free fall in the second half, the Angels would be the biggest laffingstock in the game.  Moreno has to be the most incompetent team owner of all.