The Tampa Bay Rays made free agent first baseman Freddie Freeman an offer prior to the lockout, MLB Network reported Monday.
The deep-pocket New York Yankees are “very interested” in the veteran slugger and the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays are other potential landing spots, per the report.
The low-revenue Rays, however, are a somewhat surprising contender for the services of the five-time All-Star and 2020 National League Most Valuable Player.
Freeman, 32, has spent his entire 12-year MLB career with the Atlanta Braves, who did not lock him up to a new deal before the owners locked out the players in December. The defending World Series champions remain in the mix to sign Freeman, per the report.
Freeman batted .300 with 31 homers, 83 RBIs and a league-leading 120 runs in 159 games in 2021. He hit .318 with two homers and five RBIs in the six-game World Series triumph over the Houston Astros, Atlanta’s first title since 1995.
He is a lifetime .295/.384/.509 hitter with 271 home runs and 941 RBIs in 1,565 games.
–Field Level Media