Atlanta Braves GM John Coppolella told USA Today’s Bob Nightengale that the Braves have absolutely no intentions of trading first baseman Freddie Freeman.
“I cannot make it any more clear: We are not trading Freddie Freeman,” Coppolella said. “We are not. I’d give my right arm before we trade Freddie Freeman. It is not happening.”
Coppolella said too many wrong assumptions have fueled rumors of a fire sale but that nobody that the team is not tanking.
“If we truly were going to tank, we wouldn’t have had Erick Aybar come back in the Simmons trade,” said Coppolella. “If we were trying to tank, we wouldn’t have signed A.J. Pierzynski. If we were trying to tank, we would have traded Cameron Maybin at the deadline last year, and we had plenty of offers.”
November 16
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Freddie Freeman could be the next Atlanta Braves’ star on the move. Rosenthal spoke to three officials from different clubs who said he’s being shopped, and one official noted that the possibility of a deal was the talk of the Arizona Fall League among scouts.
Rosenthal also spoke to another official who said they are shopping anyone owed money, which means Julio Teheran, Nick Markakis and Cameron Maybin could also be on the block.
The Braves are clearly committed to rebuilding the franchise, especially after dealing standout shortstop Andrelton Simmons to the Angels. Over the past two offseasons, Atlanta has traded core players such as Craig Kimbrel, Evan Gattis, Jason Heyward and Alex Wood, so it’s not too surprising to hear that Freeman might be the next to go.
However, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that general manager John Coppolella denies the rumor. Coppolella says that they have not had any trade discussions regarding their two-time All Star Freeman.
Freeman, who signed a eight-year, $135 million contract extension with Atlanta in 2014, is considered the face of the franchise. in 118 game this year, he batted .276 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI. He just turned 26 in September and owns a career .285 batting average with a .834 OPS. Through his first five seasons in the majors, he’s averaged 35 doubles, 22 home runs and 91 RBI.
Seeing Freeman leave the National League East would certainly be fantastic news for the Mets. He has been one of the deadliest Mets’ killers in the league during his career. Since 2012, he has the most RBI against New York than any player and he is tied for the most homeruns at 15 with Giancarlo Stanton.
