Will 2027 Be Freeman's Last Year?
Not long ago during an interview, Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman said he wanted to play four more years which would give him 20 in the majors and take him to his age 40 season. His reasons for this are his goal of reaching 3,000 hits and finishing with a .300 batting…
Not long ago during an interview, Dodger first baseman Freddie Freeman said he wanted to play four more years which would give him 20 in the majors and take him to his age 40 season. His reasons for this are his goal of reaching 3,000 hits and finishing with a .300 batting average. Freeman averages 180 hits a year. He is just 12 hits away from 2500. He needs 123 hits the rest of the year to hit his 180 mark. At his current pace, he will finish with about 155. That would give him 2,623 hits. That would leave him 377 hits away from the magic 3,000 mark.
He also is closing in on 400 homers. He averages 27 a year, so again, easily attainable. He has 375 right now. He also would finish with over 1500 RBIs. He is the current active career leader. No matter what he decides, Freeman will likely be a first ballot Hall of Famer. 2024 was not a typical Freeman year. The illness of his son caused him to miss 2 weeks of the season. He batted just .282 with 22 homers and 89 driven in. Not a normal Freddie year, but he more than made up for it on a bum ankle when he was the World Series MVP and only the second Dodger to homer four times in a World Series. Duke Snider did it twice.
He rebounded in 25, but at .295, was just below his goal. He played in the same number of games as 24, hit 2 more homers, but drove in just 1 more run. His WAR for 25 was a full point lower than 24.4.5 to 3.5. In four post season series, he batted just .225 with 2 homers and 3 driven in. Is it age slowing him down, or something else? He has not had a typical Freddie year so far. His strikeout rate is right at 20%. His walk rate is slightly lower. It just seems he is not barreling up balls like he did the first two years in LA.
In his first two years in LA, he averaged 53 doubles a year. the last two, 37. Dave Roberts is giving him more rest the last couple of years. Freeman used to not want to take a day off. But behind the scenes, there seems to be something else happening that has Freddie re-evaluating his future. What brought about this thinking?
Well, it isn’t age or performance, even though the frustration with his performance so far is obvious in his facial expressions. Nope, it is the presence in his life of a little girl. His daughter, Rosemary, named after his mother, came into the World on April 19th, just a couple of weeks after the season began. She is their 4th child.
To a man with three sons, the daughter is special. I have 2 daughters and a son. My girls came first, so when my son was finally born, I felt fulfilled as a dad. For Freddie, this little girl has become the center of his universe. For maybe the first time in his career, his future in baseball is less certain. In fact, over the last couple of weeks, retirement from the game has become a topic. The goal of 3000 hits has taken a backseat to missing this little girl grow up.
From February to October, ball players are merely visitors in their homes except for the rare occasions when the family goes on a road trip with the team. Trust me, as a father, a lot can happen in 9 days on the road. As a truck driver, often I would be on the road for a month. That can strain relationships, but when your kids are young, it means you are missing parts of their lives.
It seems Freeman is beginning to not want to make that commitment further than the last year of his deal, 2027. I have to believe that Freddie and his wife, Chelsea, are going to have some serious discussions this off season about the future. Freddie has made enough to not have to worry about finances. I am also pretty sure he will be following the negotiations between the MLBPA and MLB over the new CBA this winter.
He will no doubt, honor his contract, and he will play in 27. But beyond that, well, only time will tell.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
Round Rock Express (Texas) 3 – OKC Comets 2
RHSP Christian Romero had an off night. He gave up a pair of solo HRs, but was struggling most of the night. He only walked one, but he also only struck out one. In his 4.2 IP, he had thrown 90 pitches (58 strikes).
RHRP Carlos Duran came in to relieve Romero and struck out the first batter to end the inning.
In the 5th, C Eliézer Alfonzo drew a leadoff walk. One out later 2B Tommy Edman walked. With 2 outs, RF Jack Suwinski walked to load the bases. LF Zach Ehrhard hit an infield single to the SS who threw the ball away as Alfonzo and Edman scored.
The pitchers took over from the 5th. The Comets did not get a hit, and drew just 1 BB the rest of the way.
OKC managed just 3 hits. No batter had more than 1 hit, and none were for XBH. Not a memorable game.
Tulsa Drillers 13 – Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona) 9
LHRP Evan Shaw was the opener for a bullpen game. The good thing in his 1.0 inning of work was that he did not walk anyone. The bad thing, he allowed 6 hits, scoring 4 runs. The first 4 batters were single, double, double, single. Two more singles before the inning was complete.
2B Taylor Young making his first start back at AA after a rehab assignment homered on his first AB in the 2nd inning.
In the 4th, SS Elijah Hainline led off with a BB, stole 2nd, and scored on 3B Jake Gelof’s single.
In the 5th, Tulsa exploded for 7 runs. Young led off with a BB and 1B Joe Vetrano reached on catcher’s interference. C Frank Rodriguez put down a sac bunt that was thrown away for an error on which Young scored. LF Josue De Paula singled to score Vetrano, and CF Mike Sirota doubled (5) to score Rodriguez. RF Zyhir Hope followed with a 3-run HR (10). DH Chris Newell started it up again with a BB. He stole 2nd and scored on Young’s single.
LHRP Christian Suarez pitched a pair of scoreless innings. LHRP Myles Caba pitched a scoreless 4th, but ran into trouble in the 5th. After a 2-out BB, he gave up a HR.
In the 6th, JDP drew a 1 out BB. Sirota forced JDP at 2nd. Hainline drew a BB followed by Hope’s 2nd 3-run HR (11) of the night.
In the home 6th, with Caba still on the mound, the first batter reached on an error. With one out, a single put runners on 1st and 2nd. RHRP Carson Hobbs came in and got the next out. But he walked the next two batters and then a 2-run single.
In the 8th, RHRP Kelvin Ramirez gave up a solo HR making the score 12-9.
In the 9th, Vetrano drew a 1-out BB. Rodriguez singled Vetrano to 2nd. After JDP forced Rodriguez at 2nd, Sirota delivered a run scoring single.
Kelvin Ramirez pitched a scoreless 9th to close out the game.
- Mike Sirota – 2-5, 1 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (5)
- Zyhir Hope – 3-5, 2 runs, 6 RBI, 2 HR (11)
- Taylor Young – 2-3, 2 BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (1)
With Kendall George on the IL, Taylor Young should take over as the SB threat. He got his 1st tonight.
Great Lakes Loons 4 – Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 0
LHSP Zach Root was just toying with the Lugnuts. He completed 7.0 innings, allowing just 1 single and striking out 9. One other Lugnut reached on an error while Root was in. Root threw 88 pitches (59 strikes) and faced just 23 batters. This was a thoroughly dominating game for Root. As I mentioned yesterday, Root cannot be long at Great Lakes. He deserves a shot at Tulsa.
RHRP Robby Porco walked one, but struck out 2 in his one inning. RHRP Dilan Figueredo allowed 1 hit in the 9th, with 1 K.
Great Lakes scored in the 3rd. C Victor Rodrigues doubled (3) and moved to 3rd on a WP. LF Chuck Davalan drove in Rodrigues with a sac fly.
In the 5th, Rodrigues led off with a BB. 3B Jose Izarra reached on a fielder’s choice and throwing error. CF Eduardo Quintero doubled (9) home both runners. Quintero moved to 3B on the throw home. SS Emil Morales followed with a sac fly and a 4-0 lead.
The Loons had 3 hits and the Lugnuts had 2. Two of the three Loons hits were doubles: Rodrigues (3) and Quintero (9). The third hit was a single by RF Kole Myers.
Stockton Ports (A’s) 16 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 8
RHSP Hyun-Seok Jang had his 2nd bad outing in a row. In the 1st, he allowed a double. The runner moved to 3rd on a ground out and scored on a WP.
In the home half, 2B Kellon Lindsey singled, was WP to 2nd and stole 3rd. After CF Jaron Elkins walked, 3B Chase Harlan hit into a DP and Lindsey scored.
In the 2nd, Jang gave up a run scoring double and a 2-run HR. In the bottom of the 2nd, DH Easton Shelton and RF Landyn Vidourek drew BB. With 2 outs 1B Mairo Martinus had an RBI single.
Jang gave up a solo HR in the 4th. Ontario got a 1-out single from C Conner O’Neal and Martinus doubled (11) him to 3rd. Lindsey banged a 2-run single to close within 1.
Jang retired the side in order in the 5th. In the 6th, RHRP Jhonny Jiminez gave up a run on a single, BB, sac bunt, and sac fly.
In the bottom of the 6th, O’Neal homered (4) to keep it a one run game.
With RHRP Jecsua Liborius on the mound, he hit the first two batters followed by 2 singles and 1 run. A balk and sac fly brought in 2 more.
In the 8th, Elkins doubled (9) and scored on Harlan’s single.
Stockton put up 6 in the 9th, and Ontario went down without a run, but O’Neal did hit a double (5) for his 4th hit of the night.
- Conner O’Neal – 4-5, 2 runs, 2 RBI, double (5), HR (4)
- Kellon Lindsey – 2-6, 1 run, 2 RBI
- Mairo Martinus – 2-5, 1 run 1 RBI, double (11)
- Doubles – Ching-Hsien Ko (7), Jaron Elkins (9)
DSL Royals Fortuna 11 – DSL Dodgers Bautista 3
Dodgers Bautista had 3 hits, all singles. Two of the three hits came from players deemed to keep an eye on (Melburne and Reynosa)
- DH Ezequiel Melburne
- SS Ariel Reynoso
- C Oliver Chapman
Melburne was 1-2 with 2 BB.
All 5 Dodgers Bautista pitchers allowed at least one run.
There was no DSL LAD Mega game or ACL game.
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Discussion (69)
Disagree, not disagreeable
It is remarkable that the Dodgers have the record they have considering most of their starting lineup has vastly underperformed. Pitching, pitching, and more pitching saves the day for this team. This will definitely will be the case in the postseason when pitching is generally the determining factor in winning a World Series. If the offense can get their collective act together and the pitching can stay healthy then three in a row has a real chance of happening.
Oh sorry I see you said IF they trade….my bad.
Wednesday’s Dodger Affiliates’ Schedule 4:05 p.m. PT: Great Lakes (Aiden Foeller) vs. Lansing (Samuel Dutton) 5:05 p.m. PT: Oklahoma City (Jackson Ferris) vs. Round Rock (TBD) 5:05 p.m. PT: Tulsa (Adam Serwinowski) at Amarillo (Avery Short) 6:35 p.m. PT: Ontario (TBD) vs. Stockton (Jackson Nove)
Aaron Judge is having his bruised ribs checked out. Got my new truck all licensed and registered. Dives great.
Stu Scheurwater is brutal behind the dish and is on my list of one of the worst umpires, and has been for a long time. I have no idea why he hasn’t gotten better and how he keeps his job. I have refrained from commenting anymore on the ABS Challenge System but he is the poster-child for its limitations. A single wrong challenge gives ole Stu the freedom to miss an untold amount of pitches for multiple innings. He had back to back and multiple challenges in an inning. You can’t challenge all of them, if you guess wrong early.. You’d need about 10 challenges with this clown calling balls and strikes to get calls right. Zeke and tedraymond2.0 both mentioned Tucker’s odd swing. I first noticed it in Spring Training. I was sitting on the 3rd row between the on-deck circle and home played on the 3rd base side, so I got a perfect view of Tucker’s swing. I mentioned to my companion how odd his swing was; a swing unusual for a big league hitter. It’s hard to explain – His hands at the load position are well extended past his left shoulder, like his right arm is expended away from the incoming pitch. This creates a really long path to get to the baseball. He doesn’t “sweep” but his hands, especially his bottom hand, sort of pull the bat through to the hitting zone. There is limited wrist action through the hitting zone. It’s not really sweeping the bat to the zone but it’s not a short, quick action to the ball. Very unusual mechanics. I don’t know how he’s ever on-time. When you get a chance at a TV shot of him from the side, notice where his hands start when he loads and how far his hands have to travel to get to the pitch, while pulling his bat to contact. Very different.
In the Texas League (where DePaula plays), remember that he just turned 21 last week, there are four players with an OPS higher than him (barely). They are 26, 24, 22 and 25 years old. Insofar as Freddie leaving, there at least two ways to look at it: 1. I want to be home with my kids; or 2. I want my kids to remember me playing and experience the clubhouse, etc. i have no clue which way Freddie will lean.
Tucker’s swing doesn’t bother me. Baseball history is littered with players who had long, beautiful swings and short ugly careers. It’s Tucker’s career stats that I find impressive. A 137 career OPS+. You know who doesn’t have a career OPS+ that high? Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, Andy Pages, Fernando Tatis and Steve Garvey. I threw those last two in for effect. I think it worked. I’ll let you be the judge. The point is it’s just too early to throw him overboard. I’m not Confortoable with that. (see what I did there?) This guy is a hitter. Hitters hit. Of course he’s not worth $60 million. Other than Ohtani, who is? I’m going to continue to wait patiently for it all to coalesce. We’ve yet to see how good this team is. And Tucker is an important part of the ‘26 Dodger amalgamate.
From the Indy Star today: The Chicago Bears are running out of reasons to stay in Illinois The Chicago Bears have backed themselves into a corner. If they’re sincerely willing to move to Indiana, then there’s only one thing left to do: Pack the trucks. If they’ve been using Indiana as leverage to get a better deal to stay in Illinois, then, well, the gambit failed. The Bears can slink back to Soldier Field and figure out next steps. The Illinois legislature adjourned until fall without approving an incentive package to build a new stadium. The Bears aren’t going to learn anything new before they conclude a process that is making NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell impatient. The Bears are either bluffing, or they’re not. It’s time for them to show their cards. Illinois lawmakers could convene a special session to reconsider a stadium deal, but what’s the point? Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, and the Democratic-controlled legislature have known for years that the Bears were angling for a new stadium deal. Facing the prospect of losing the Bears, Illinois essentially just said, “Do what you have to do. We’ve got nothing for you.” Illinois’ position seems unlikely to change in the coming months. Meanwhile, Indiana has come up with around $1 billion toward a stadium in Hammond. The Bears have committed to paying $2 billion. Indiana’s share would come from doubling the hotel tax in Lake County to 10%, instituting a 1% food and beverage tax in Lake and Porter counties, adding a 12% admissions tax to future tickets and creating a special taxing district to divert money to the stadium. “Now, the Bears are going to go huddle,” Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott said June 2 on his Left of Center podcast. “They’re going to discuss the offers on the table, and when I say offers, I mean one. There’s one offer. It’s Hammond, Indiana. The state of Indiana made an offer. “They’re going to discuss and they’re going to say, ‘We’re going to do this and we’re going to put shovels in the ground and we’re going to get this started,’ or they’re going to say, ‘No, we’re not going to do this,’ and, if that’s the case, God bless them. The Bears can go back and deal with JB Pritzker … without Hammond, and without Hammond to beat up on from the city of Chicago calling us a toxic waste dump.” My assumption has been that the Bears were bluffing. But, even if they were, Illinois’ ambivalence must be painful to the Bears’ owners and executives. The Bears are like a person with a lucrative job offer to leave a company in which they’re otherwise content to remain if they can just get a raise — yet that employer is refusing to make a counter-offer. At some point, leaving becomes a matter of pride, even if you’d rather stay. That might be where the Bears find themselves. If Indiana lures the Bears across the state line, you have to give credit to Gov. Mike Braun, House Speaker Todd Huston and other state and legislative leaders who seized an opportunity that looked dubious to most, including me. Unless, of course, you’re looking at the Bears as an investment. In that case, you might be disappointed. The finances almost certainly sound much rosier now than they would turn out to be in practice — that’s how stadium financing always goes. Landing an NFL team also does not guarantee a bright future for Hammond. Sports stadiums often fail to live up to their broader redevelopment promise, and the Bears could just as easily move back to Chicago in 30 or 40 years. It’s better to judge this deal as an amenity. There are only 32 NFL teams. Indiana might soon have two of them — as well as another Super Bowl hosting opportunity and all the other perks that come along with NFL teams. You’d be justified in arguing it’s not worth the cost. That’s what Illinois appears to have decided. Just try to name one other thing Indiana could add to its northwest corner to garner the same level of prestige and transformative potential as the Bears. If you’re the mayor of Hammond, of course you want to bring the Bears to your city. There’s no other rational position. “I’m pretty sure, within the next month, Hammond is going to learn its destiny,” McDermott said on his podcast. “We’re going to either get the thumbs up or the thumbs down.” In the contest over which state cares the most about hosting the Bears, Indiana has already won.
I think you know more about all that than I do so it’s probably all true. Some of I might question (for example: it’s impossible to get the bat from load to follow through without wrist action) and I will again point out his career (9 years 3400 PA’s) OPS+ is 137. He’s not 30 until next year so he is still in his prime. He’s not a great outfielder but he does have a GG as well as two Silver Slugger Awards. I like the guy. I don’t care what he looks like, I care only about results and his resumé reads pretty not too bad to me.
It’s made to sound like Chicago doesn’t need the Bears. But, Hammond? You gotta be kidding. It actually looks like a suburb of Chicago, not unlike Anaheim and LA. Could they go play in Hammond and still be the Chicago Bears? Sounds like a bluff. But what did I know? I don’t know Chicago. And I never heard of Hammond.
Bears will figure out a way to remain in Chicago, but may play half their games at Comiskey and half at Wrigley (and maybe half wherever the Bulls play).
Badger a couple of comments * I too don’t care what he looks like. I’m not criticizing his swing. You might notice my last comment – “it’s different” * I’m not questioning his past “resume”; His Silver Slugger Awards nor his defensive chops. His swing is “just different” as I was attempting to explain what I see to Zeke and tedraymond2.0. * You say “it’s impossible to get the bat from load to follow through without wrist action” I never said in my analysis Tucker was without wrist action. Of course there is wrist action in every swing. To me, he just seems to pull the bat through the zone without the quick wrist action of a Hank Aaron. * My analysis has nothing to do with not liking the guy or questioning his past success. It’s not criticism. * I simply tried to explain why his swing looks different to some. I admire “different”. There is more than one way to play ball. Hunter Pence was extremely unorthodox but a terrific player.
Ok. Got it. Thanks Pence is a good comparison
Who do we want back for Tucker and $100M?
That’s almost as good as getting a 300% discount.
Hey Phil. Thanks for the explanation on Tucker’s swing. It seemed to me that the swing might have been lacking any power by the time contact is made. And Pence is a great example of a completely odd hitting approach by a successful big league hitter. And Badger, Tucker certainly has the “star” stats offensively in his past. That’s what caused my questioning his swing. If it’s the same approach he’s used in the past, then I guess we’ll have to wait for him to start producing. At this moment he seems to be really pressing.
The Bears haven’t been the same since The Refrigerator retired.
9:40 PM ET Dodgers (39-22) Diamondbacks (32-28) SP Shohei Ohtani R 5-2 .82 ERA SP Zac Gallen R 3-4 5.16 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH S. Ohtani L CF Andy Pages R 1B F. Freeman L SS Mookie Betts R RF Kyle Tucker L 3B Max Muncy L C Will Smith R LF Alex Call R 2B A. Freeland S In Domed Stadium
Betts every time he’s out of phase? Pages when he’s swinging too hard? CT3 during his last years? Will Smith for much of last year?
The way the current team is, no addition will significantly help or add right now. It’s too good.
We’re witness to one of the greatest sportsmen of the century.
Corbin Burnes suffered a Teres Major strain and will be out until at least September. Padres DFAd Nick Casteallnos. Angels resigned Joey Luchessi to a minor league deal. Rays acquiring Simeon Richrdson-Woods from the Twins. No return yest announced. Angels called up Shaun Anderson. Reds released RHP Josh Staumont. RHP Yunior Marte, DFAd earlier by the Reds elected free agency.
He is discombobulated completely. Looks totally lost and frustrated at the plate. I believe the guy is pressing big time trying to live up to that humongous contract.
He was historically bad. Especially on low pitches. Max had one 3 inches below the plate called a strike. Unfortunately, he did not challenge and ended up striking out. He would have walked.
The Broncos bought some property where there used to be a railyard. They plan on building a domed stadium there.