When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired David Freese from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the Aug. 31 trade deadline last year, it was with an eye on improving the offense’s woes against left-handed pitching.
He not only thrived in that capacity, but lived up to his reputation of being a clutch postseason performer, hitting an overall .364/.423/.773 across 14 games. In addition to his success at the plate, Freese was lauded for his impact on some of the Dodgers’ younger players.
It led to both sides working out a new one-year contract for the 2019 season. Freese immediately picked up where he left off from the previous year, posting an .