Atlanta Era Ends With Matt Olson Signing Up

Atlanta
Atlanta Braves

After Brian Snitker, the manager of the Atlanta Braves hosted the first meeting of spring training on the morning of Monday, he had something special in mind. He immediately texted Freddie Freeman, who was completely on the other side of the country. The manager mentioned that he was almost about to speak with the players, and Freddie still had some time to reach the group. Now, while this may seem humorous to the average NFL fan, the sentiment behind it can’t be denied. The history between Snitker and Freeman has always been deeply cherished, something the fans of the club will attest to. 

Atlanta Braves Part Ways With Freddie Freeman

Even though the manager of the Atlanta Braves and Freeman were indulging in their humorous banter, everyone knew of the old locker of Freeman- which was a space between those of Travis d’Arnaud and Charlie Morton- where the space was empty. There were no 10 dangling white hangers- and it seems unlikely that the place will be filled soon. 

Interestingly, even before the MLB could feel the waves that came with the sealing of Freeman’s fate- with regards to Atlanta, the context was quite entrenched in the conversation that Snitker had with the rest of the team. Snitker went on to speak about famous players that had moved on from Atlanta- Henry Aaron, Chipper Jones, and the like. What was common in all these transfers/retires, was that the rest of the team had to move on. They couldn’t hold on to the past- they had to look towards the future. 

Just a few hours after this, Cristian Pache, the outfielder, walked out of an office that was located at the end of the clubhouse and told the team that he had been traded for Matt Olson, another All-Star first basemen. Albies knew that Freeman’s game time with the Braves was now completely over. So, the next time Freddie Freeman- a lifelong Brave for the last 11 years- decides to put on the jersey of Atlanta again- it wouldn’t be so until he retired from professional baseball.