Freddie Freeman, the 2020 National League MVP, indicated Tuesday that he is apparently uninterested in negotiating a long-term contract extension with the Atlanta Braves during the regular season. Freeman is eligible for free agency after the 2021 season.
“I don’t know if we could really even talk right now,” Freeman said on a videoconference before Tuesday’s game at Yankee Stadium. “That would be a distraction, and I don’t like distractions. I don’t think there is going to be much talking any time soon.”
The Braves, who lost 3-1 to the Yankees in the series opener, drafted Freeman out of high school in 2007. He reached the majors in 2010 and has been the focal point of the Atlanta offense ever since. A four-time All-Star, he has finished in the top eight of the MVP voting five times. He already signed one long-term deal with the Braves, an eight-year, $135 million contract that ran from 2014 through this season.
Near the end of spring training, Freeman told MLB.com that the Braves, owned by Liberty Media Corporation, had yet to approach him or his agents about a new deal.
“There [are] no negotiations,” Freeman added Tuesday, indicating he was worried only about Jameson Taillon, the Yankees’ starter Tuesday night.
Freeman is hitting .233/.387/.517 after the loss to the Yankees, with five home runs and an NL-leading 14 walks. He turns 32 in September.
He went 1-for-4 on Tuesday.