One of the biggest stories in the Braves‘ history is the club trading for Matt Olson after letting Freddie Freeman walk in free agency, in a move that Chase has dubbed “the worst mistake in franchise history,” which has now become a meme among fans.
In reality, there’s some truth to it. Letting a first ballot Hall of Famer walk out of the door, who went on to put up the best two seasons of his career with your arch rivals (Dodgers), is unacceptable. However, where Chase deserves flack, is overreacting to Olson’s first season with the Braves because Alex Anthopoulos replaced Freeman with quite possibly the perfect player.
Olson’s power regularly puts balls on top of the Chop House in Truist Park. Moreover, he’s younger and cheaper than his counterpart as well as being a native of Georgia. He’s a seamless fit in the clubhouse and is arguably the best player at his position, depending on what you value. Over the life of the two players’ contracts, we’ll look back at the Matt Olson trade as an overwhelming successful move in franchise history.
Chase would even admit Matt Olson is a hell of a player. Nobody could deny that; he’s a top five MVP candidate right now. However, Braves fans that were sour about the entire ordeal might never get over AA letting Freeman walk, and Olson understands that.
In an interview with Bartsool’s Pardon My Take, Olson was asked if there was any weirdness at the time of the trade, given he was replacing a franchise great, and if the fans would ever be on his side.
“I think there was a tad of it. When a guy is there that long and he’s going to be a Hall of Famer, the dude is a career .300 hitter with all the accolades that he’s gotten and he came up with the Braves, there’s going to be that stuff.”
Obviously, replacing a first ballot Hall of Famer that has spent his entire career with a team and brought the city a World Series trophy isn’t going to be easy, especially among the fan base. However, Olson recognized that, and even went as far as to tell Big Cat and PFT Commenter that he was glad the fans showed that kind of loyalty and passion.
“The dude (Freddie) has done so much for Atlanta and like I said, a Hall of Famer, I would be upset as a Braves fan growing up and as a guy who plays for the team, who I want good fans, if they just like kicked him out the door. I’m happy that they love Freddie.”
There aren’t many fan bases that rival Braves Country. They ferociously defend their own. We did it with Freddie Freeman, and though it took some time, we are now doing the same for Matt Olson.
More must-reads: