Freddie Freeman signing $162 million deal with Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are now officially the Evil Empire in MLB.

The Dodgers on Wednesday agreed to terms on a 6-year, $162 million deal with Freddie Freeman. The agreement ends about a week of reports saying the two sides were in talks about a deal.

The contract is the largest ever given out by Dodgers executive Andrew Friedman, who tends to prefer short-term deals. Giving Freeman a sixth year under contract apparently helped seal the deal.

The addition of Freeman gives the Dodgers an absolutely stacked lineup (as if they didn’t already have enough sluggers). They now have a lineup featuring some combination of: Freeman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Trea Turner, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Chris Taylor, AJ Pollock and Will Smith. That is absolutely loaded.

But it’s not just that the Dodgers added Freeman that is such a big deal. It’s that they took him away from one of their biggest recent rivals in the Braves. The Braves and Dodgers have met in the NLCS the last two years, splitting the series and both going on to win a World Series. Freeman also was drafted by the Braves and had played for them his entire career.

Though Freeman is 32, he still seems to be in the middle of his prime. He has made the last three All-Star teams and won NL MVP in the shortened 2020 season. He is a career .295 hitter and has averaged 28 home runs per 162 games during his career.

The Orange County native now heads back to Southern California for the later part of his career, and he will be playing for a top contender.

Photo: Jun 15, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) hits a RBI single against the Boston Red Sox in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports