Braves Rumors: Matt Olson has replaced Freddie Freeman and then some
Most franchises don't get over losing an icon like Freddie Freeman. Most franchises aren't these Atlanta Braves.
For a market like Atlanta, Freeman was a rock. Normally, failing to reach a contract extension with a player of his caliber results in some sort of setback. Yet, Alex Anthopoulos replaced Freeman with a player of similar work ethic and attitude in Olson. Most teams don't get that lucky, wrote Thomas Carranate of Yanks Go Yard while comparing Atlanta to his Yankees:
"The Braves don't have unforgiving media coverage. They don't have a vicious fanbase. They don't attract players whose sole goal is making the most money imaginable (which, in some cases, is the reality for the Yankees). Only once in a generation will Atlanta be able to get away with shunning a franchise legend like Freddie Freeman (most teams do not recover from such a decision)."
Yet, Atlanta had Freeman's replacement in waiting days before he signed with Los Angeles, and Olson is a Georgia native. It was perfect. While they are different people, in many ways Olson and Freeman are similar in how they go about their business.
"Obviously with Freddie leaving, big shoes to fill," Riley said, per FOX Sports. "And to me, [Olson's] done a great job over there. I think this year he's really been able to find his footing and play his game. I feel like last year he put a little pressure on himself. And this year he's just going out there and trusting his ability and trusting his work."
Brian Snitker went as far as to call Olson 'boring' in how he handles being a professional athlete. While last season featured some down numbers for his standards, Olson has hit his way back onto the scene and into the NL MVP conversation. He has more home runs than Shohei Ohtani, and won player of the week the same week Michael Lorenzen threw a no-hitter.
"Coming back home has a lot more to it than people think," Snitker said. "There's a lot more pressure in that. He was balancing a lot of balls in the air last year and I think he did an unbelievable job."
Safe to say he's gotten over that pressure and then some.
Braves Rumors: Vaughn Grissom as confident as ever
We've spent a lot of time talking about Vaughn Grissom — a player who has spent most of his season in the minor leagues — on this site. He was tabbed as the potential replacement for Dansby Swanson, a player who helped lead the Braves to a World Series and was known as 'The Sheriff' in the Atlanta clubhouse.
Grissom hasn't panned out just yet. He struggles defensively at shortstop, which isn't a natural fit for him. At the plate, those struggles got the best of him, and he was unable to lock down the starting shortstop job in spring training. That ultimately went to Orlando Arcia, who has since made the NL All-Star team.
Still, Grissom was called up as infield depth when Ozzie Albies went down with an injury earlier this week. He's confident, and has been raking in Triple-A.
"I'm still confident," Grissom insisted, per the AP. "No one can take that away from me."
Grissom is hitting .327 with six homers, 50 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in Gwinnett. There's a decent chance he'll be on the Braves postseason roster because of his bat. He makes for a solid pinch hitter who can play multiple infield positions. At second base, Grissom has at times looked even more comfortable than he does at shortstop.
"Hopefully they can call on me again and have confidence in my offense, my defense, and everything around that," Grissom said. "We'll see."
It's unclear if Grissom will go back down to Gwinnett when Albies is recalled from the injured list. If so, rumors will continue to swirl about his future with the big-league club. He deserves a shot somewhere.
Braves Rumors: Is Marcell Ozuna trade bait?
Marcell Ozuna hit another home run on Tuesday night, as Bryce Elder shut down the Yankees for another Braves victory. With Ozuna's contract suddenly looking for affordable than in years past, could Atlanta look to trade him away this offseason?
FanSided's Josh Wilson theorized this exact point last week:
"Ozuna has one year left on his current contract for $18 million, with a team option in 2025 for $16 million. Even though Ozuna comes with some baggage, both on and off the field, teams in desperate need of some designated hitting help could be persuaded into taking that final year off the Braves hands in a trade, risk associated and all.
If Ozuna keeps raking it as he has this season, though, it might not even take that much convincing."
Considering Ozuna's rough off-field history, it might make some sense for Anthopoulos to sell high on the slugger, who is primarily used as a designated hitter anyway. Doing so could make room for a free-agent or trade addition, or potential Travis d'Arnaud to be the full-time DH. Vaughn Grissom, also mentioned earlier in this piece, would thrive in a spot where he only had to worry about his bat, rather than his glove.
Trading Ozuna could also help Atlanta replenish its farm system, which has grown rather barren with trades for Matt Olson and Sean Murphy in the recent past.
