"It was truly an honor" - Former Atlanta Braves star Freddie Freeman bids a heartfelt farewell to the franchise
After spending 12 years with the Atlanta Braves, Freddie Freeman has said goodbye to his long-time franchise. While it remains unclear what team Freeman will sign with, it is clear that he will not be rejoining the Atlanta Braves after their trade for Oakland Athletics star Matt Olson. The star first baseman Freeman understandably has a lot of feelings to get off his chest.
While the former MLB MVP is still searching for his new team, he took time to give a powerful goodbye to everybody in Atlanta who supported him, including teammates, coaches, and fans.
Freddie Freeman took to his personal Instagram to deliver this heartfelt message to his biggest supporters, seen below.
"Don’t even know where to begin. For the past 15 years I got to be apart of your organization. It was truly an honor. We went through the very highs together and some lows but those lows is what made last year so special." - FreddieFreeman via Instagram
Freddie Freeman had a legendary career with the Atlanta Braves
While the sadness of Freeman's departure will linger over the Atlanta Braves for a long time, it provides an opportunity to appreciate his great tenure. In 12 seasons with the Braves, Freeman won five All-Star awards and was the MVP of the shortened 2020 season.
More important to the fanbase was the World Series victory Freeman played a key role in bringing to the city of Atlanta. The underdog Atlanta Braves fairytale run in the 2021 postseason to win the World Series is the essence of legends. Atlanta has a storied history of tragic sporting losses. Freddie Freeman was undoubtedly key to securing the World Series victory.
Freeman's final plays for the Atlanta Braves were the perfect capstone to his career with the team, as Jason Foster pointed out via a tweet.
If Freddie Freeman is moving on from Atlanta, his last swing was a home run and his last defensive play was catching the final out of the World Series clincher. That's not a bad way to go out.
"If Freddie Freeman is moving on from Atlanta, his last swing was a home run and his last defensive play was catching the final out of the World Series clincher. That's not a bad way to go out." - @ByJasonFoster
The superstar first baseman has no lack of options in free agency. While Freddie Freeman will surely miss the Atlanta Braves, after closing this chapter of his career, he continues to look to the future. Freeman remains one of the top free agents available and will be a boost to any team that is fortunate enough to sign him.