"I’d give my right arm before we trade Freddie Freeman" - When Braves' ex-GM refused to let 8x All-Star go after tanking accusations
The 2015 season was rough for Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves. They finished the year with a 67-95 record, just two games off last place in the National League East.
After the season came to a close, Atlanta traded its shortstop, Adnrelton Simmons, to the Los Angeles Angels, prompting fans and analysts to accuse the team of tanking.
Then GM John Coppolella grew frustrated with the accusations and reiterated that he had no plans to trade Freeman.
"I cannot make it anymore clear: We are not trading Freddie Freeman," he told USA Today's Bob Nightengale in November 2015. "We are not. I'd give my right arm before we trade [him]. It's not happening."
Coppolella also urged the fans to judge the moves the club made in the next couple of years.
"There is a method to this madness. Judge our trades in two or three years. Not now," said Coppolella.
In 2017, Freddie Freeman and the Braves won their first World Series in 26 years
Over the next two seasons, the Braves did not have much better luck. They finished 68-93 in 2016 and 72-90 in 2017, missing the postseason during both those years.
However, things soon took a turn. In 2018 and 2019, the club made the postseason, but failed to win a round in the NL Divisional Series.
The following year, they made the postseason again and advanced to the NL Championship Series.
In 2021, they built on that success and made it all the way to the World Series. They beat the Houston Astros 4-2, taking home their first World Series title in 26 years, and their fourth overall.
Freddie Freeman was vital for the team's successful season, alongside Jorge Soler and Dansby Swanson. Atlanta leaned on him and a few others when Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL and had his season cut short.