Anthopoulos: Freeman leaving 'rattled' Braves' clubhouse

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos believes trading for and signing first baseman Matt Olson to a long-term extension had to happen to ease his team ahead of franchise icon Freddie Freeman's looming departure.

"If that meant we gave up a little bit more in trade, and if that meant we gave up a little bit more on the extension, I don't know how to quantify it, but I do believe having those things in place at that moment in time, considering how emotional it was with the signaling of Freddie not coming back and the clubhouse was rattled, that's fair to say," Anthopoulos told the "Starkville" podcast.

"I thought that was important because we have a short period of time to get ready, and I think every single win is going to count."

Anthopoulos said the timing of the Olson trade and extension made sense.

"He's here, and he's one of us, and he's part of this core, and there's no ambiguity. I believe - and the players may agree or not agree - I believe there's something to that because we need these guys to gel, and we need them to come together."

Freeman, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers two days after the Olson deal, said the Braves only called him twice during the offseason.

The 2020 National League MVP spent his entire 12-year career with Atlanta, helping the franchise win a World Series in 2021.