Following their World Championship season, the Atlanta Braves had a conundrum at first base. Freddie Freeman, who was their mainstay since the 2010 season, left to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Ultimately, Atlanta chose to trade for the Athletics’ Matt Olson and sign him to an eight-year extension. That decision ultimately proved to be the right one, as Olson has flourished with the Braves. But according to The Athletic‘s Ken Rosenthal, it almost didn’t happen.
In his latest piece, Rosenthal revealed the Braves nearly went a different route to replace Freeman. The club had sought former Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo. While that possibility never came to fruition, it does beg the question of what if it did.
Braves Nearly Signed Anthony Rizzo Before Matt Olson Trade
The Braves’ pursuit of Rizzo made sense at the time. From 2013-2021, he slashed .271/.373/.489 with a 132 wRC+ and averaged 30 home runs per 162 games. His 31.7 fWAR trailed only Paul Goldschmidt, Joey Votto, and Freeman among MLB first basemen. He was named an All-Star in three consecutive seasons (2014-2016) with the Cubs.
Rizzo became a free agent following the 2021 season. Following a 99-day lockout, a free agency frenzy ultimately changed the course of the Braves. Freeman left to sign a six-year, $162 million deal with the Dodgers, leaving Atlanta without a clear answer at first base in over a decade.
The team quickly pivoted to Rizzo. The former Cub and Yankee was the top player at the position left on the market, and had no qualifying offer attached due to his midseason trade.
Rosenthal reported that the two sides never got close to a deal, due to Atlanta’s policy of not giving opt-outs for free agent contracts. Instead, the Braves chose to go in a different direction and turned to the trade market to solve their first base hole.
Matt Olson Trade Right Move for Braves
After Freeman left, and the club was unable to strike a deal with Rizzo, the Braves pivoted toward a blockbuster deal. They acquired Olson in exchange for four prospects. Going to Oakland were Cristian Pache, Joey Estes, Ryan Cusick, and Shea Langeliers.
On top of the trade, the Braves extended Olson through the 2029 season for $168 million. Olson was coming off a breakout 2021 season, in which he hit .271 with 39 home runs, a 147 wRC+, and 5.0 fWAR. The extension was a sign the Braves thought that level of production would continue, which proved to be true in the following four-plus seasons.
From a prospect standpoint, that was considered a big haul for a player with just two seasons of control left. Langeliers and Cusick were two of Atlanta’s previous three first-round selections at the time of the trade. However, with the gift of hindsight, the trade ultimately proved to be smart from Atlanta’s perspective.
Since the 2022 season, Olson has started in every possible game at first base. He owns a .263/.355/.513 slash with 160 home runs and a 137 wRC+ and 19.4 fWAR. Olson finished fourth in the 2023 National League MVP race and won a Gold Glove in 2025.
Of the prospects that went to the Athletics, only Langeliers has stuck. He’s emerged as one of the top catchers in the American League. Since 2024, he’s slashed .263/.320/.512 with 72 home runs. Only the Seattle Mariners‘ Cal Raleigh, who hit 60 in 2025, has more. His inclusion in the trade may have led to the Braves targeting Sean Murphy in the following offseason.
Looking back at that offseason and the two possibilities the Braves had, it’s safe to say the team made the right decision in replacing Freeman.
Braves Nearly Signed Former Cubs Star Before Matt Olson Trade