Freeman’s offer gives the Braves more options on the infield, in the lineup

When thinking about the options for the Atlanta Braves to keep Matt Adams in the lineup once Freddie Freeman returns from his injury, we never really thought about Freeman moving across the diamond to play third base.

That all changed when Freeman thought about it himself. Forget about the egomaniacal baseball player. This guy, a star, offered to change positions for the good of the team.

Freeman’s recovery from his broken wrist has been better than expected, speeding up the time frame for his return. It also puts the decision front and center for the team to decide what to do when he comes back.

Now, if Freeman’s work at third base does not go well, then maybe the decision is not as difficult. We likely won’t hear about that, however, as that might change Adams’ trade value.

There’s no reason to believe, however, that Freeman won’t be able to do this. This past week, the scout who signed Freeman and watched him play third base almost exclusively in high school, expressed complete confidence in the potential switch.

“I’m confident he can play third base and play it well,” said Braves national crosschecker Tom Battista. “He was above average in high school, and he’s an athlete. He played only third base his entire high school career.

“We saw the growth potential as a soon-to-be 6-5, 240-pounder, and we knew he’d grow into a future Gold Glove-caliber first baseman one day. It takes a true athlete to play first base at the caliber he plays it. I still believe he could play both corners at the big-league level.”

The Braves’ desire to have a winning season in the first year of SunTrust Park is what could make this a real possibility. Think about the lineup with both Freeman and Adams. Freeman would go back to hitting third, followed by Matt Kemp and then Adams. That’s a potent middle-of-the-order, especially if Freeman goes back to the ridiculous production he had before the injury and if Adams keeps his current pace up.

There is no doubt that gives the Braves a great chance to win. With Adams in the lineup this month, the Braves lead the NL with 125 runs in 22 games. That’s 5.68 runs per game. Add Freeman to that lineup, and the Braves are going to be even more dangerous.

The dilemma for the front office is gauging Adams’ value on the trade market. We all know Freeman is not staying at third base for the long-term, so does the team take advantage of Adams’ trade value now instead of waiting until later?

The Braves likely could get a top prospect from a team for Adams, and there’s no doubt they’ll get more back for him now than the prospect (Juan Yepez) they gave up to the St. Louis Cardinals. But could they finish out the year with Adams at first and Freeman at third and then still get great value for Adams this offseason, particularly if Adams continues his torrid pace?

It’s complicated. Freeman is Atlanta’s first baseman. But having a player like Adams play at this level — more than he has ever done before in his career — makes this interesting. Adams has never had more than 17 home runs in one season. Yet, he’s on pace for 40 home runs. Is this a fluke? Is Adams going to come back down to Earth?

This situation gives Atlanta’s front office tremendous options, which is especially good for a team still in a rebuilding mode. The Braves will capitalize on Adams’ value, whether it’s before the July 31 trade deadline or this winter.

There are still a few weeks before this will play out, but this is an unexpected storyline that will be fun to follow. Give Freeman credit for volunteering to play third, and either way his offer should make the Braves better — in the short-term and long-term.

This story was originally published June 24, 2017 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Freeman’s offer gives the Braves more options on the infield, in the lineup."