Mar. 15—In the afterglow of last fall's World Series triumph — the Atlanta Braves' series-clinching win over the Houston Astros not an hour old — Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman said of the chances he might no longer remain with the club this season: "This is a crazy game, a crazy business. But everyone knows this is where my heart is."
It was a statement seemingly full of hope and encouragement, one that appeared to send a message to Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos that he'd love to remain in the Big Peach for any reasonable amount of money.