“I love being here. I’m from Southern California,” Freeman said. “I’ve had a great time with fans. You guys treat me great. Everyone’s treating my family good….I’m not worried about another contract, not going to bring it up, not going to talk about it. I got two years left. I’m just an employee. I just do my job, and if they want me back, they want me back. But I think Andrew [president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman] and everyone knows that I love being here.”
Freeman only plays first base and Shohei Ohtani is locked into the Dodgers’ DH spot, so having both positions occupied for four more years might present some roster-building difficulties down the road. Besides that minor issue, it is hard to imagine the Dodgers wouldn’t have interest in continuing their relationship with Freeman if he stays healthy and keeps hitting anywhere close to his current pace.
Since arriving in L.A., Freeman has hit .310./391/.516 with 96 home runs, with a 149 wRC+ that ranks fifth among all players since the start of the 2022 season. He has been an All-Star in all four of his Dodgers seasons, and Freeman has a pair of top-four finishes in NL MVP voting. In the postseason, Freeman’s resume includes the 2024 World Series MVP trophy, and a pair of iconic walkoff homers — his grand slam to end Game 1 of the 2024 Series, and his solo shot to end the 18-inning marathon that was Game 3 of the 2025 Series.
The 2025 championship capped off another successful year for Freeman, who hit .295/.367/.502 with 24 homers over 627 plate appearances. Freeman posted these numbers despite playing on a surgically-repaired ankle that was “never really in a good spot” all year.
This offseason was normal from a health perspective, however, and Freeman is looking forward to an even more productive 2026, from both a hitting and defensive perspective. Freeman’s goal is to play in all 162 games, though he acknowledges that the team will give him some rest days to keep him fresh for the playoffs.
During his 11-plus seasons as the Dodgers’ PBO, Friedman has been proactive in extending and/or re-signing several cornerstone players (i.e. Mookie Betts, Clayton Kershaw, Max Muncy, Will Smith), so a new deal for Freeman certainly seems plausible. This could take the form of an extension next year, or Freeman could even play out his current contract and enter free agency, still with the understanding that a new deal with the Dodgers would still happen once the team accesses other offseason business.
