Why Dodgers shouldn’t wait to extend Freddie Freeman’s contract

Freddie Freeman wants to finish his career with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers want that to happen, too.

So, just make it official already.

Open talks about a two-year contract extension. Have it signed by the end of the season.

Why not?

“Believe me, I would love to get something done now,” Freeman said.

Rather than use this as an opportunity to push for a new deal, the ever-agreeable Freeman tried to be a voice of reason. He said he didn’t want to force the Dodgers into making a commitment before they’re ready to do so.

Freeman mentioned he will be 37 in September. He pointed out that he remains under contract for next season. And with baseball’s collective bargaining agreement expiring at the end of the calendar year, the Dodgers could play under radically different financial rules next season.

“I see both sides,” Freeman said. “Right now, there are so many variables that are unknown. It’s hard to even talk about right now.”

Here’s the counterargument: The unknowns are why this extension must be wrapped up sooner rather than later.

By now, team owners have made clear they want to control the cost of labor to increase their franchises’ values. What remains uncertain is whether they will get their way, and if they do, whether it will result in a salary cap or more severe luxury-tax penalties.

For argument’s sake, let’s imagine the most extreme outcome: The owners succeed in including a salary cap in the next CBA. Even then, the league is unlikely to force the Dodgers and other high-spending teams to be salary-cap compliant by next season. The Dodgers couldn’t possibly be expected to reduce their $400-million-plus payroll by $150 million to $200 million.

Which is why team officials around the league expect any such system would have to be implemented gradually. At the least, contracts signed before the ratification of the new CBA would have to be honored.

Better that than for a salary cap to suddenly be in place and the Dodgers having to rack their brains trying to figure out how to squeeze Freeman onto their roster. 

Sentimentality is often a casualty in sports leagues with financially restrictive environments. 

Whether Freeman retires a Dodger shouldn’t come down to numbers on a spreadsheet. He’s played only five of his 17 major-league seasons with the Dodgers, but his importance to the franchise can’t be understated.

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Statistics are important, but what fans remember more is how players make them feel. And over the last five years, has there been another player, Shohei Ohtani included, who has evoked as many powerful emotions as Freeman?

For an entire generation of fans, his walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series will remain one of the greatest memories of their lives — not just as a baseball moment, but as a moment, period.

Earlier that season, Freeman missed time to be by the side of his then-3-year-old son Maximus, who was temporarily paralyzed battling a rare neurological disorder. The family ordeal became a shared one, the city embracing Freeman when he made his tearful return to Dodger Stadium.

The stadium-wide chants of his first name, which continue to this day, will be a signature track on the soundtrack of this period in Dodgers baseball.

But Freeman has more than nostalgia to offer. He remains a productive player.

Benefiting from a healthy offseason, Freeman made his 10th All-Star team this year. He’s on pace for a 5-WAR season, according to Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.

He’s moving better on defense than he did in his previous two years, evidence that his once-diminished mobility was more a result of injury than of advanced age.

Considering how short his swing is, it’s hard to imagine him becoming an offensive liability anytime soon.

An important milestone is on the horizon.

Freeman is on track to finish this season with close to 180 hits, which would give him more than 2,600 in his career. Parts of next season could be wiped out because of the lockout, but Freeman could still be positioned to reach 3,000 in three years.

When Freeman reaches that milestone, he should wear a Dodgers uniform. Los Angeles deserves to celebrate the achievement with him.

This is a no-brainer, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Freeman’s departure from the Braves is an example why. Freeman was a homegrown player who was beloved in Atlanta. In 2021, he led the Braves to a World Series championship.

It was a foregone conclusion the Braves would re-sign him — until it wasn’t.

Before Freeman knew it, he was slipping on a Dodgers uniform at his new team’s spring training facility. 

The Dodgers shouldn’t take any chances. As unlikely as it feels now that Freeman will be on the move after next season, there are too many unknowns to be certain that won’t happen.