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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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Former National League MVP Freddie Freeman is under contract to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two more years, but he doesn't envision his playing career ending there.
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The postseason hero told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation on Thursday at the team's spring training facility in Arizona that he wants to play for four more years — hopefully, he said, with the Dodgers.
Freeman, 36, is entering his 16th season in Major League Baseball. After helping the Atlanta Braves win the 2021 World Series, Freeman stunningly signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Dodgers in March 2022.
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Since then, his career has done the opposite of slow down.
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The first baseman hit a walkoff grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees, the catalyzing moment in a series that saw the Dodgers win the first of back-to-back championships.
In Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, Freeman again played the hero against the Toronto Blue Jays. His solo home run in the 18th inning was the difference in a 6-5 win — another pivotal moment en route to a seven-game series victory.
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Last season, Freeman had his worst non-pandemic season by Wins Above Replacement since 2019. While his .295/.367/.502 slash line was worthy of a seventh consecutive National League All-Star nod, his .367 OBP was his lowest since 2012 — his second full MLB season in Atlanta.
His average bat speed (69.9 mph) fell to the 19th percentile in MLB, according to Statcast.
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Those figures are hardly enough to disqualify the 2020 National League MVP from playing until age 40, but they raise questions about the kind of hitter — and fielder — he will be after his current contract expires.
The Dodgers owe Freeman $27 million each of the next two years, $14 million of which is deferred. His next contract — assuming Freeman gets his wish — might have to come with a pay cut. But he's done enough already to make the Dodgers consider extending him beyond the 2027 season.
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