Maybe Freddie Freeman was so teary on Friday because the Atlanta Braves didn’t want him.

So huh. . .

There is crying in baseball.

“I don’t even know if I can get through this. I’ll try,” Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said Friday afternoon, turning into a sobbing mess in a back room at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Tears flow when you’re Freeman, and you’re the designated star during your three-game homecoming in your old town of 12 major league seasons. That included 2021 with a World Series trophy bearing a lot of his fingerprints.

On the other hand, as for Freeman’s moist eyes, it’s possible (but not likely) that he arrived at his pregame news conference on Friday suffering from the Georgia dogwoods and azaleas that regularly cause allergies.

Or it’s possible (and likely) that Freeman has been crying his eyes out since he realized the Braves didn’t want him.

“Give me a second. Wait,” Freeman said, donning his Dodgers warm-up jersey as he covered his face as he ran out the door. Moments earlier, he glided onto the stage in the crowded room of most media reporting on the Braves, you know, the same team where he was the face of the franchise.

Freeman’s five trips to the All-Star Game, three Silver Slugger Awards, the Gold Glove Award and 2020 NL MVP honors all contributed to the Braves’ ability to relocate from downtown Atlanta after the 2016 season. to The Battery, his $1.1 billion stretch of property that includes everything from restaurants, apartments, and bars to office buildings, shops, and Truist Park.

So Freeman and the Braves had a nasty breakup, but only from Freeman’s point of view. For example: According to the gullible, Freeman and his agent played a game of chicken after last season with Braves management during salary negotiations, and Team Freeman didn’t win.

According to the truth, Braves management wanted Freeman to sign with the Dodgers, Yankees, Angels or anywhere except Atlanta, as they preferred to give the youngest free agent first baseman Matt Olson (28 to 32 of Freeman) a eight year contract valued at $168 million.

Freeman wasn’t pleased with Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, in particular, saying so through gritted teeth during his first Dodgers news conference in spring training. He apologized later but suggested again Friday that he was still upset about Braves management’s refusal to negotiate with him and his agent last season and beyond.

Which means Freeman can’t take the hint: Given the length of those non-negotiations with Team Freeman, Braves officials didn’t want him. They wanted Olson or someone not named Freddie Freeman.

Or maybe Freeman can take the hint: Maybe he was crying, because he knew the Braves didn’t want him.

What everyone knew Friday was that Freeman came back to town and claimed he never wanted to leave as a major league player. So, after continuing the daily routine he had with the Braves of ordering a (ahem) Freddie Omelette for lunch at Cupanion’s Kitchen & Coffee near his home in Atlanta, he began to become a 6-foot-5 crying machine and 226 lbs.

“I was doing pretty well an hour ago,” Freeman said, wiping his face with an increasingly soggy towel during his news conference. “I am happy to be back. This organization, the people, the media that have covered my family with grace and love for the last 12 years, is difficult. The fans. I was 20 years old, some saw me when I was 17 in the Gulf Coast League. Rome, Ga. Myrtle Beach and Pearl, Mississippi in 2009. They all helped make me who I am today.”

Freeman got more emotional about 15 minutes before the first pitch. After a video of his highlights with the Braves played on the stadium’s big screen, his former team held a miniature 2021 World Series ring ceremony for the guy who made the 78th pick in the Major League Baseball Draft. 2007.

The standing ovation was loud and long.

They sang Freddie, Freddie, Freddie.

After Braves manager Brian Snitker handed Freeman his ring around the pitcher’s mound, Freeman thanked the packed crowd. “It has been a hard day. Very emotional,” he said. “Help me get through it and help my family get through it too. It’s going to be tough, but we love you and always will.”

well it wasn’t that difficult for Freeman. While he was batting second, here’s what happened during his five plate appearances:

• First entry. The cheers lasted for a while, as did another standing ovation. Braves pitcher Ian Anderson left the mound to allow Freeman to greet fans in all directions with a wave, a nod, or both. The way.
• Second entry. Freeman heard mostly polite applause as he moved toward home plate. He struck out. The crowd roared.
• Fifth entry. Booooo, and that anti-Freeman sound was everywhere after his name was announced. The way.
• Sixth inning. Freddy who? There was little response throughout the stadium, and there was even less after he singled.
• Ninth inning. With the Braves trailing 4-1, on pace to lose by that score, Freeman received low-level boos as he led off the top of the inning. He rolled out to low-level applause.

In that way, Freeman went from being a favorite son in Atlanta to just another guy on the hated Dodgers, the Braves’ opponent during each of the last two seasons in the NL Championship Series.

Which means Braves fans cried on Friday.

Not about Freeman.

See the final score.