After an emotional return to Atlanta to face the Braves, Freddie Freeman has reportedly fired his agency, Buster Olney at ESPN reports.
Excel Sports Management handled Freeman’s negotiations in the offseason, with Casey Close acting as lead agent.
“Last weekend in Atlanta was a very emotional time for me and my family,” Freeman told MLB.com. “I am working through some issues with my longtime agents at Excel. My representation remains a fluid situation and I will update if needed.”
Olney reports that the MLB Players’ Association sent out an email to agents passing along a request that Freeman not be contacted, a tactic used by players who do not want to field calls from new agents right away. Baseball’s central system lists Freeman as self-represented at the moment.
Freeman reportedly told some of his former teammates this weekend that he was going to change agents because he was frustrated with the way his free agency negotiations unfolded, even saying that he was shocked at how they had played out.
In March, Close gave the Braves one hour to respond to proposals far higher than the $135 million, five-year deal the team proposed to Freeman. Alex Anthopoulos, head of baseball operations for the Braves, made a $140 million counter offer, which was rejected. He and Close agreed that there was no deal, and the Braves reportedly assumed that Freeman already had a contract lined up with another team and quickly signed Matt Olson to replace him.
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