Braves Can't Afford to Wait on Freddie Freeman Extension

Thanks to their alluring young core, the Atlanta Braves are set up to be contenders in the National League for years to come.

They'll have players like Ronald Acuña Jr, Ozzie Albies, and Mike Soroka, among others, locked up on the cheap for the foreseeable future.

When it comes to Freddie Freeman, however, the club's front office shouldn't mess around with coming to terms on an extension. Mark Bowman of MLB.com understands that the Braves are postponing talks until NEXT offseason, when Freeman is entering the final year of the mammoth eight-year, $135 million extension that he signed back in 2014.

Atlanta's reluctance is reportedly due to the lingering injury to Freeman's right elbow this season that hindered his overall ability to perform down the final stretch of the regular season and into October.

Bowman says the Braves want to see Freeman replicate the MVP-caliber numbers that he posted in 2019 before they are fully persuaded to spend that much cash.

That concept alone is mind-blowing when you consider the four-time All-Star has been one of the most consistent hitters in the league since 2011. Freeman's worst campaign came in 2015 when he slashed .276/.370/.471 with 18 home runs and 66 RBI (in just 118 games).

We're talking about a player who has previously asserted that he wants to remain a Brave for his entire career! Atlanta doesn't necessarily have to rush talks, but waiting until next winter would be the epitome of foolish.

Freeman deserves more respect than that.