Freddie Freeman may be entering the final years of his Hall of Fame baseball career, and discussions surrounding the Los Angeles Dodgers star continue to grow.

Although Freeman has not officially announced retirement plans, he recently admitted his perspective on baseball and family has changed following the birth of his daughter earlier this year. The comment sparked speculation that Freeman could retire sooner than expected.

Freeman, 36, previously stated that he hoped to play until age 40 and complete a 20-year Major League Baseball career. However, he acknowledged that balancing baseball with family life has become increasingly difficult later in his career.

He has always said he wants to reach 3,000 hits, but kids change your perspective.

Freeman remains one of the most respected players in baseball, continuing to perform at an elite level for the Dodgers since joining them in 2022 after 12 seasons with the Atlanta Braves.

Freeman has repeatedly said he wants to retire wearing a Dodgers uniform. His current contract runs through the 2027 season, but his future beyond that remains uncertain.

Throughout his career, Freeman has been known for consistency, leadership and durability. The former National League MVP enters the 2026 season among baseball’s active leaders in hits, doubles and RBIs. While his pursuit of 3,000 hits is impressive, the Dodgers have openly discussed keeping Freeman involved with the organization after retirement, whether in a mentoring or front office role.

Whether Freeman decides to retire or extend his career, his legacy as one of the greatest first basemen to ever play the game is secure.

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The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 to win the World Series Wednesday night. The Yankees blew a five-run lead at home and could only watch on as Los Angeles celebrated its eight title victory in front of sellout Yankee Stadium crowd.

“I think falling short in the World Series will stick with me until I die, probably,” Yankees slugger Aaron Judge told reporters after the game. “I think just like every other loss, you know, those things don’t go away. They’re battle scars along the way. And, you know, hopefully when my career is over, we got a lot a battle scars but a lot of victories along the way too.”

After avoiding a sweep in an 11-4 blowout win Tuesday, the Yankees seemed intent on continuing their impossible march early in Game 5. Judge, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton all homered in the first two frames to put the Bombers ahead 5-0. Dodgers starter Jack Flaherty exited with just one out in the second, forcing Los Angeles to turn to its bullpen for another lengthy assignment. 

On the other side, fans in the Bronx were finally electrified. They had a Game 4 win under their belts. New York ace Gerrit Cole was cruising with run support, starting Game 5 with four flawless innings. Judge, dead silent for the entire series, was finally starting to hit like an MVP. With a few more quiet Los Angeles frames, the Yankees’ impossible dream of a reverse sweep could have been worth a whisper. Then the fifth inning came and went with all the grace of a six-car pileup on the Grand Concourse.

Judge kicked off the circus routine by dropping an easy line drive to center field, putting runners on first and second. On the very next play, shortstop Anthony Volpe tried to get the lead runner out on a ground ball but spiked the throw to third, loading the bases with no outs. Cole, battling through the poor play behind him, managed to strike out Gavin Lux and Shohei Ohtani for two gutsy outs. A soft grounder down the first base line from Mookie Betts should have ended the inning.

But after coming all the way back from two fielding errors behind him, Cole suffered his own lapse. He failed to cover first base, allowing Betts to reach first, drive in a run and prolong the inning. The Dodgers didn’t need any favors from there; Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez connected for back-to-back two-RBI knocks and Los Angeles tied the game with five unearned runs.

The Yankees retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning and Cole carried on in heroic fashion, throwing 108 pitching in 6.2 innings without allowing an earned run. In a battle of the bullpens from there, however, New York folded almost immediately, loading the bases in the sixth and seventh innings and allowing two runs on sacrifice flies in the latter frame. With a 7-6 lead, the Dodgers closed out the game to earn their eighth World Title.

Freeman earned World Series MVP honors in overwhelming fashion, as the first baseman overcame an injury to hit four home runs and earn 12 RBIs across five games against New York. In a World Series billed as a star-studded matchup between the sport’s most famous franchises, Freeman was the only star to live up to those sky-high expectations.

“It seems like we hit every speed bump possible over the course of this year,” Freeman said after the game. “And to overcome what we did as a group of guys, it’s special. This is what we start out to do every single spring training is to win a championship. I think it’s the hardest thing to do in sports because you just never know what’s going to happen.”

Juan Soto, Judge’s slugging counterpart all season, was far from the Yankees’ biggest problem in the postseason, but the team’s collective failure is sure to make his impending free agency a nightmare. After Game 5, Soto told reporters that he will hear offers from all 30 MLB teams, and reports suggest that he will likely take the best offer. A meeting with Mets owner Steve Cohen in Queens is on the horizon and could potentially take a massive chunk out of the Yankees’ lineup in 2025.

Judge is sure to take the vast majority of the blame for the Yankees’ postseason failure; after batting .322 with 58 home runs in the regular season, the presumptive A.L. MVP batted 4-for-18 in the World Series. Before Game 5, he batted 2-for-15, and even after finally coming alive at the plate, his final game this season will be remembered for his costly error in center field that kickstarted the Dodgers’ comeback.

Despite the obvious blame on Judge for the Yankees’ shortcomings, he was not the only MVP candidate to have a quiet World Series. Ohtani was supposed to be the titan on the other side of the matchup, but he actually performed worse than Judge, going 2-for-19 without an RBI. 

In the end, the 2024 World Series was only partially determined by clutch play from immense talents. For the most part, it was a far more fundamental battle, one in which Los Angeles systematically took advantage of the New York’s sloppy play on the way to an unexpected rout. 

The team didn’t need Ohtani to be sharp; Freeman motored the team to consistent leads, and the pitching staff held a hapless Yankees lineup in check for the most part. It may have made for less compelling viewing than the offensive shootout some expected, but the Dodgers proved to be the cleaner team and took full advantage of the Yankees’ collective no-show. It was a decisive, if abrupt, triumph.

On the heels of a trade that sent him from the Oakland A’s to his hometown Atlanta Braves, Matt Olson has signed an eight-year, $168 million contract with his new club.

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos phoned his new first baseman Monday after the acquisition and broke the news; a day later the deal was done.

To quote the nine-figure 27-year-old, it was a “whirlwind.” He added, “The stars kind of aligned perfectly.”

The deal runs through 2029 and comes with a $20 million team option for 2030 sans buyout.

The move clearly closes the Freddie Freeman chapter in Atlanta—a chapter that began with 24 at-bats in 2010 and culminated with the team’s World Series title last fall. Throughout, he totaled a .295/.384/.509/.893 line with 271 home runs and 941 RBI for a 138 OPS+ over 6,660 plate appearances (5,767 at-bats).

Olson’s pact is the largest in team history, surpassing… you guessed it: Freeman’s $135 million deal signed prior to the 2014 campaign.

He’ll make $15 million in 2022, $21 million in 2023, and then $22 million per for the rest of the contract.

“Obviously, I know Atlanta,” Olson said after the trade and before the deal. “It’s an amazing place, World Series champs, my hometown. If there was one place to go and leave here, that’s the place to do it. I’m excited about it.”

It was the first $100 million deal doled out since MLB’s lockout ended.

The MLB All-Star starters have been revealed. This season was the first time the league implemented a two-part voting process. The first phase of the voting had three finalists for each defensive position. Nine outfielders advanced to the second phase of voting as well as a designated hitter in the American League. The second phase of voting determined the All-Star Game’s starters.

The process saw nine first-time All-Stars selected by the fans to start this year’s game. The headliners included San Diego Padres’ shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, who was voted to start as the AL’s designated hitter.

Mike Trout, who was voted as one of the starting outfielders for the AL, will be unable to play as he is recovering from a strained calf. Toronto leads all teams with three players making the starting lineup.

American League Starters:

• C- Salvador Perez 
• 1B- Vladimir Guerrero Jr 
• 2B- Marcus Semien
• 3B- Rafael Devers
• SS: Xander Bogaerts 
• OF- Mike Trout
• CF- Aaron Judge
• LF- Teoscar Hernández
• DH- Shohei Ohtani

National League Starters:

• C- Buster Posey
• 1B- Freddie Freeman
• 2B- Adam Frazier
• 3B- Nolan Arenado
• SS- Fernando Tatis Jr.
• CF- Ronald Acuña Jr.
• LF- Jesse Winker
• RF- Nick Castellanos

The National League team will be coached for the third consecutive year by Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, while Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash will coach the AL.

The rest of the MLB’s All-Stars will be named on July 4. Pitchers and reserves for each team will be determined by a process that considers selections made by the Commissioner’s Office and the player ballot choices.

Opening Day of Major League Baseball will be here in the blink of an eye. This is a good time to look at each team’s prognosis heading into the 2021 season after the 60-game 2020 abbreviated season.

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The Atlanta Braves had a successful 2020 as they made the postseason for the third straight year and finished first in the National League East for the third consecutive season. In 2020, the Braves also finished 15th in ERA, posting a 4.41 ERA and second in home runs with 103 homers. The Braves last made the World Series in 1999 when they lost to the Yankees in six games.

However, the Braves have earned a total of 17 NL Pennants and three World Series titles in franchise history. Atlanta is surely going to battle it out again in 2021, but their lack of aces could cause them to fall short of a championship. 

Here are Atlanta’s projected starters.

Atlanta Braves Projected Batting Order:

1. OF Ronald Acuna
2. 2B Ozzie Albies 
3. 1B Freddie Freeman
4. OF Marcell Ozuna
5. SS Dansby Swanson
6. C Travis d’Arnaud
7. 3B Austin Riley
8. OF Christian Pache
9. Pitcher

Atlanta Braves Projected Pitching Staff:

• SP1 Mike Soroka
• SP2 Max Fried
• SP3 Charlie Morton
• SP4 Ian Anderson
• SP5 Drew Smyly
• CL Will Smith

Atlanta Braves Team Outlook:

There is no denying that the Braves are equipped for the battle of the NL East. As far as pitching goes, the Braves added starters Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly. With a healthy Mike Soroka, the Braves’ rotation should be improved. The bullpen lost reliever Mark Melancon and the closing role will be passed on to Will Smith. The bullpen improved late in 2020, and the returning players will make Atlanta competitive in 2021.

As far as offense goes, the Braves lost outfielders Adam Duvall and Nick Markakis along with catcher Tyler Flowers. However, Atlanta added Pablo Sandoval and Ehire Adrianaza. The Braves also re-signed Marcell Ozuna, which greatly benefits the team offensively. It should be noted that the Braves have a superior offensive core that offers upside and will surely drive them to success in 2021. 

Atlanta Braves Schedule:

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On Wednesday, the Chicago White Sox announced that first baseman Jose Abreu has tested positive for COVID-19. He is asymptomatic.

As a result, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player will report late to spring training camp. He will also remain isolated for the next several days, according to the team.

“He believes he contracted a mild case of the disease in January, which is reinforced by the presence of COVID antibodies in additional testing. Other than being frustrated, Jose feels great and, like the rest of us, is looking forward to when he rejoins the club in the not too distant future,” the team reported in a statement from White Sox general manager Rick Hahn.

Abreu is the third of the four major 2020 award winners to come down with a case of COVID-19. Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman battled the disease in July but recovered and won his first National League MVP award.

American League Cy Young Shane Bieber tested positive for COVID-19 before reporting to Cleveland Indians camp and missed the first four days of workouts.

In the 60-game abbreviated 2020 season, helping the White Sox to their first playoff appearance since 2008, Abreu slashed .317/.370/.617 with 43 runs, 76 hits, 19 home runs, and 60 RBIs. He also led the American League in hits, RBIs, slugging percentage, total bases, and extra-base hits.

The 2018 MLB Home Run Derby is set for Monday night at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., and here is what you need to know.

Home Run Derby 2018 Preview

Coming just one night before the All-Star Game, the Derby will start at 8pm EST and will air on ESPN. It can also be live-streamed through the WatchESPN app.

SLIDESHOW: 30 Best Sports Instagrams! 

Here are the pairings for the first round of the contest:

Round 1: 

• No. 1 seed Jesus Aguilar (Milwaukee Brewers) vs. 8-seed Rhys Hoskins (Philadelphia Phillies)
• No. 4-seed Alex Bregman (Houston Astros) vs. No. 5-seed Kyle Schwarber (Chicago Cubs)
• No. 2-seed Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) vs. 7-seed Freddie Freeman (Atlanta Braves)
• No. 6-seed Javier Baez (Cubs) vs. No. 3-seed Max Muncy (Los Angeles Dodgers)

SLIDESHOW: Sports Figures Who Died In 2018

New York Yankees outfielder won the Derby last year as a rookie. This year, Harper and Aguilar are among the favorites to win the competition.

Freddie Freeman smacked his career-high 33rd homer and extended his career-best hitting streak to 29 games to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 7-6 home victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night, in the opening of their final homestand at Turner Field.

Freddie Freeman Homers, Extends Streak As Braves Rally From Down 6 To Top Phillies 7-6

The game was delayed twice by rain for a total of 2 hours, 24 minutes. The Braves overcame a six-run deficit for its fifth consecutive victory over the Phillies, and their eighth win in nine games.

“I think the rain delay kind of helped; everybody got re-grouped,” Freeman said. “Things are going through, and I’m hitting pitches I was missing early in the season.”

Tyler Flowers delivered a double in the decisive eighth inning, which ended when Mallex Smith and Emilio Bonifacio recorded consecutive two-out singles off David Hernandez. Flowers also capped Atlanta’s four-run sixth inning with a three-run homer that cut the Braves’ deficit to 6-5, and that traveled a projected 417 feet with a 107 mph exit velocity, per Statcast.

“I’m just happy to be here and find a way to contribute,” said Smith, who had two hits while making his first start since fracturing his thumb on June 19. “I can’t say that any more genuinely than I did right there.”

Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff retired each of the first 11 batters he faced before Freeman’s big two-out homer in the seventh inning. Eickhoff and Julio Teheran, who gave up six earned runs and 10 hits in just four innings, did not return following one of the two rain delays, which began before the start of the fifth inning.

Roman Quinn stole third base and scored on an errant throw by Flowers to push the Phillies’ lead to 5-0 in the top of the second. However, after Teheran left, the Braves won the game after their bullpen delivered five scoreless innings.

Mauricio Cabrera (4-1) got the win for Atlanta, and Jim Johnson earned his 18th save.

In the first inning, Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard hit a grand slam, the 15th of his career, which moved him into a tie with Ken Griffey Jr. and Richie Sexson for 13th place on the all-time list. The homer also moved Howard into a tie with Albert Belle for 69th place on the all-time home run list. Both hit 381 home runs.

“I savor every home run, period,” said Howard, who said he is not getting wistful thinking about his potential final week with the Phillies. “You guys are looking at it the way you guys are looking at it. I just really stay in the moment. I don’t really try to focus on any of that stuff.”

Freeman’s 29-game hitting streak ties him with Red Sox outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. for the longest recorded in the Majors this season. Freeman, a first baseman, would have an opportunity to match Dan Uggla’s Atlanta record 33-game hitting streak on Saturday. His solo shot off Eickhoff also pushed his on-base streak to 45 games, which also happens to be MLB’s longest active streak.

The Phillies’ bullpen has an 8.03 ERA (69 earned runs in 77 ⅓ innings) this month, which included six runs in five innings against the Braves. Phillies manager Pete Mackanin planned to bring in Hector Neris to close in the ninth.

“But, at some point, somebody else has to do a … job,” Mackanin said. “Somebody else has to … step up. In two games now, every reliever I brought in has given up a … run. That’s unheard of.”

The Braves scored a pair of runs off Severino Gonzalez and two more off Luis Garcia in the sixth on an RBI single by Nick Markakis and a three-run homer by Flowers to draw within 6-5.

“It’s true to form with what they’ve been doing,” Atlanta interim manager Brian Snitker said. “You don’t feel good down six, but I felt good with all the at-bats we had left.”

The two teams will face off for the second game of their three-game series at Turner Field on Wednesday night. Phillies (70-87, 4th in NL East) lefty Adam Morgan will make his final start of the season, while right-hander Mike Foltynewicz will take the mound for the Braves (64-92, 5th in NL East).

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 19: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves follows through on a third inning home run against the New York Mets at Citi Field on September 19, 2016 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Mike Foltynewicz delivered a strong outing with the Braves in Thursday’s home game against the Padres, thus leading his team to a 9-6 victory and its first sweep of San Diego since May 2008.

Mike Foltynewicz, Freddie Freeman Lead Braves To 9-6 Win Over Padres

The Braves’ offense strongly backed the right-hander. After Freddie Freeman’s two-run home run in the third, Atlanta burst for five runs in the fifth to chase Padres starter Jarred Cosart out of the game after giving up seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.

“I just didn’t have a good feel for anything today, felt kind of locked up, pitches weren’t crisp,” Cosart said. “Mainly the off-speed pitches, [I] couldn’t get them down in the zone.”

San Diego couldn’t get a runner on base through the first three innings, as Foltynewicz retired three while tossing just 29 pitches. Travis Jankowski got the first hit against the righty with a leadoff single in the fourth, but he came back to record five consecutive flyouts.

Twelve of the 15 outs Foltynewicz recorded over six innings came in the air, although he also allowed a solo shot to Hector Sanchez in the fifth and a two-run homer to Wil Myers in the next frame.

“There were a couple bad pitches I left out over the zone, and you saw what happened there,” Foltynewicz said. “But other than that, my changeup was working real well for me today. My fastball didn’t have the life it usually does, but I got away with some stuff.”

San Diego rallied for three runs in the ninth, although it proved insufficient to turn the game around. With the victory, the Braves registered their first sweep at Turner Field this season.

“It has a lot of meaning,” said Freeman about getting the sweep. “You want to win as many games as you can. Obviously, we’re not having the season we wanted to, but we’re trying to end strong. We’ve been doing that. We’ve been playing better baseball for the last couple of months, and we welcome those sweeps.”

After pushing his on-base streak to 24 games with a walk in the first inning, Freeman’s homer two frames later marked his 10th during the streak. The first baseman has hit 361 (30-for-83) with 26 RBIs in that span, and his 34 extra-base hits since the beginning of July lead the National League.

Twenty-five months after he last threw a pitch in the Majors, Braves reliever Shae Simmons returned to the mound for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery 18 months ago. The right-hander entered the game in the top of the eighth and required only nine pitches to silence the Padres. His fastball reached around 96-97 mph, and several of his teammates greeted him at the dugout steps to congratulate him as he left the field.

“[Simmons] was good,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He had been away for a while, and when you get a guy like that, there’s never the perfect time to put him in the game. But right there was kind of as good as any, because we had six outs to cover and some guys who could have backed him up if something went wrong. I thought he did great for not being out on a Major League diamond for a while.”

After scoring nine runs on Thursday, the Braves have scored at least seven runs in five straight home games for the first time since August 7-10, 1953.

The Padres (55-78, 5th in NL West) next travel to Los Angeles to begin a three-game series against the Dodgers Friday night. Left-hander Clayton Richard will get the start.

The Braves (51-83, 5th in NL East) will open a three-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia on Friday night. Right-hander Joel De La Cruz, a 27-year-old rookie, will take the mound for Atlanta for his second start against the Phillies this year.

ATLANTA, GA – AUGUST 30: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves knocks in a run with a third inning single against the San Diego Padres at Turner Field on August 30, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)