The Atlanta Braves made a pair of very notable signings on Thursday afternoon. The main one was signing reliever Evan Phillips to a 3-year, $35 million contract, but Atlanta also inked super-utilityman Tyler Freeman to a minor-league pact.
Freeman’s deal included an invite to spring camp in 2027, but is it possible that the latest roster decision to bring in Tyler Freeman could spell bad news for a potential Mauricio Dubon reunion?
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Mauricio Dubon Reunion May Be Affected by Freeman Signing
It’s not realistic to think that the Tyler Freeman signing should hold back a potential Mauricio Dubon reunion, although there are sure to be plenty of rumors of that being the case.
Freeman, 27, has played all three outfield positions and 3/4 infield spots (minus first base) throughout his career. However, he isn’t a great defender, and in 2026, Freeman posted a bWAR of -2.0 over 79 games with the Colorado Rockies. That’s just flat-out bad.
The thing that will really affect a Mauricio Dubon return is the fact that his market is thought to be fairly vast, with several other MLB clubs being interested in his services.
While Dubon has expressed interest in returning to the Braves on a multi-year deal, the Braves’ front office will have to agree to that sentiment.
One interesting thing to note about this Freeman signing is how early it’s been made during the MLB offseason. Sure, the lockout is looming, but Tyler Freeman could have very easily been signed later in the cycle due to a lack of interest from other teams, but perhaps Atlanta sees him as a reclamation project and might be stocking him to be another internal option across the infield and as a fill-in outfielder.
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Taking a Closer Look at Tyler Freeman
It isn’t even fair to compare Mauricio Dubon to Tyler Freeman in terms of the back of the baseball card, as Dubon is much more tenured, durable, and overall more productive.
However, with the latest Tyler Freeman signing, it is important to look at how he’s fared in MLB throughout his career.
Freeman debuted with Cleveland in 2022 and has spent parts of five seasons in MLB.
Across 395 total games played in his career, Freeman’s bWAR is -3.0 (yikes), and he carries a batting average of .247 with 16 home runs, 107 RBI, and a lifetime OPS+ of 81.
Again, he’s a ‘utilityman’, same technical title as Mauricio Dubon, but Dubon posted a bWAR of 2.7 by himself in 2026 alone, so the Braves may be way more focused on retaining Dubon than thinking Tyler Freeman will be an everyday player in 2027.
Atlanta Braves Latest Roster Move Could Spell Bad News for Mauricio Dubon Reunion