The Braves had to make a tough decision letting go of Freddie Freeman but Matt Olson is proving them more right day after day.
When the Braves traded for Matt Olson and let Freddie Freeman walk to the Dodgers, it was plenty fair to wonder if they were making a huge mistake.
Freeman was a team legend. He'd led them to a World Series after a decade of loyal service. Olson was almost five years younger, but less proven with one All-Star season with the A's under his belt.
In the second season for both players on their new teams, Olson has done everything possible to prove the Braves were right to bet on him over the veteran star.
Matt Olson leads league in home runs alongside Shohei Ohtani
Olson hit his 25th home run of 2023 on Sunday against the Reds, breaking a 3-3 deadlock in the sixth inning. He now sits atop the home run charts alongside Shohei Ohtani. He's second to only Ohtani in MLB-wide RBI while topping the National League in that measure.
At this point, it almost doesn't matter what Freeman is doing in Los Angeles. He's continued to thrive with 14 home runs and 47 RBI while slashing .316/.397/.545. But he's turning 34 in September and the Dodgers are set to pay him an average salary of $27 million per year until he's 37.
Meanwhile, the Braves are getting a discount paying the now 29-year-old Olson $21 million per year to put up numbers to rival the MVP-favorite Ohtani.
It was painful to let Freeman go considering what he meant to Atlanta. It should hurt a lot less a couple years later knowing things have worked out beautifully for the Braves, who have the second-best record in baseball as the All-Star Game approaches with their first baseman more than living up to the giant shoes left behind by Freeman.
