Most of the stars in the free agent (FA) market are at an age when they will be in their prime. It’s a big temptation right now. However, in order to catch these players, we need to present better conditions than others. Players prefer long-term contracts that reduce their risk. On the contrary, for the club, this long-term contract is a big risk.
Usually, after signing a long-term contract, there are many cases where the performance gradually goes downhill, and some players fall into injuries or major slumps. However, Freddie Freeman (34), who was recruited by the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of last season, has been loved by fans for his consistent performance even now, in his second year with the Dodgers. He is worth a lot of money, a total of 162 million dollars (about 213.6 billion won) over 6 years.
Freeman has a solid track record. He has been one of the league’s top players for a long time. He had no major injuries. He played in 1565 major league games, with a batting average of .299, 295 home runs, 1048 runs batted in, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.895. His season OPS has never dropped below 0.892 in the past seven seasons. He was also the National League MVP in 2020, only finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting seven times.
The beginning of last year was good. He played in 159 healthy games, posting a .325 batting average, 21 home runs, and 100 RBIs. His 199 hits were the most in the National League, and his 0.407 on-base percentage also led the league. His 0.918 OPS was 54% better than league average.
It is still alive this year. In his first 18 games, he is batting .324 with 3 homers, 7 RBIs and an OPS of .909. Now at 34 years of age, there is no feeling that his skills are lagging. He’s also struggling early in the season as he leads the Dodgers’ lineup. He hits well and chooses his walks well.
As a spray hitter representing the league, he still picks the direction of the ball and still produces quality hits. Freeman’s expected batting average (xBA) is in the league’s top 1%, and his expected weighted on-base percentage (xwOBA) is in the league’s top 4%. In the future, he hints that his grades may be better. He’s early in the season, but his barrel batted percentage is 11.1%, which is better than last year (9.9%). It is also positive that he is efficiently hitting various pitches such as fastballs, breaking balls, and off-speed pitches.
Freeman’s contract spans the ages of 33 to 38. Of course,스포츠토토 there is a high possibility that the performance will continue to drop in the future, but it is a business that will remain even if you lead the team for the next 2 to 3 years. Considering his steady batting and on-base percentage, it is very likely that he will not be a minus to the team’s batting lineup as long as he is healthy even in his later years. According to statistics website ‘Fangraph’, Freeman already made a whopping $56.8 million worth last year. The Dodgers’ pioneering plan was correct.
