LOS ANGELES — There’s a photo tucked into the back corner of the home clubhouse at Dodger Stadium that Freddie Freeman has license to choose. The former MVP spent much of his first season in Los Angeles unsure of what option to put there.
But when the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Jason Heyward to a minor-league deal two winters ago, that choice became clear. The photo of Freeman and Heyward could have been taken when they were teenagers who met at a high school showcase in San Diego, or as Atlanta Braves minor leaguers selected in the first and second rounds of the same 2007 draft class, or as roommates throughout their early professional careers. That they got to reunite with the Dodgers was special, and came at the urging of Freeman, who vouched for one of his longest-tenured best friends in the sport after he was unceremoniously let go by the Chicago Cubs.
Freeman wanted Heyward here for the crossroads. He would fulfill exactly what Heyward said he would over the ensuing two seasons.
Two days after the Dodgers designated Heyward for assignment, the photo still hung between what were Freeman’s and Heyward’s lockers. Only one was emptied out.
“It’s above my pay grade about what the decisions and all that stuff is, but just personally, it’s sad,” Freeman said Saturday, his first public comments since the decision Thursday morning.
The Dodgers had a roster crunch, with Chris Taylor the latest injured position player to return to the active roster. Heyward, impactful in the clubhouse and productive in his role during his first season as a Dodger (but with just a .669 OPS against right-handed pitching this season), didn’t have much of a fit with Mookie Betts returning to the outfield full-time. So on Wednesday, about 24 hours after Heyward delivered a game-winning three-run home run off the bench, the Dodgers informed him that would be his final swing for the club.
GO AHEAD, J-HEY. pic.twitter.com/KQy20Kzwhs
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 21, 2024
“I mean, that’s kind of like personal stuff,” Freeman said when asked whether the front office consulted him before making the decision — logical on paper, but removing someone whose impact was felt beyond just the MVP first baseman but throughout a room that resoundingly named him the recipient of the Roy Campanella Award last season for his leadership.
“We’ll leave that alone. It’s just sad that he’s not here.”
Freeman said Heyward has largely been radio silent since the news went official Thursday morning. The three text messages he got back, he said, were probably more than almost anyone else got.
“I texted him and said it feels like 2014 all over again,” Freeman said, referencing the trade that sent his then-Braves teammate to the St. Louis Cardinals, breaking up their first tenure as major-league teammates after being inseparable since they were teenagers.
“They were like brothers from the get-go,” Greg Walker, Atlanta’s hitting coach from 2012-14, recalled last year.
“I love him to death,” Heyward said of Freeman last spring.
The two shared corner lockers. They frequently interacted even when on the road. And when Heyward took the initiative of ingratiating himself to the Dodgers’ younger core, Freeman recognized it.
“Massive impact,” Freeman said. “That’s what I fought for to get him over here in the first place, was … forever how long he’s here, he’s going to make a lasting impact for many, many years beyond when he’s done with his time here, and I think it rings true when every single person in this organization, in this clubhouse, is sad. You know, it’s the impact he’s had on so many people, and lasting impact, and he’s made a lot of the young guys better, and that’s why I really wanted him to be here in the first place because I know what kind of impact he’s going to have on certain people’s careers as they go forward.”
Heyward blossomed in 2023, with his .813 OPS representing his highest mark over a full season since 2012. His role was clear-cut, to hit right-handed pitching while maintaining his sterling corner outfield defense. The club signed him to a one-year, $9 million deal to reprise that role, but that appeared choppy from the jump. He went on the injured list during the first week of the regular season with back tightness. As his bat started to pick up upon his return, he missed more time with a bone bruise in his knee. After the Dodgers moved Betts from shortstop back to right field this month, Heyward logged just one more start. Kevin Kiermaier offered a better glove in center field. The club was committed to Taylor returning, even if his role is also unclear. They likely will have Andy Pages come up next month as rosters expand for September, and moving on from Heyward now gives the 35-year-old time to latch on and be postseason-eligible for a contending club in need of outfield help.
“We’ll see what happens in the next couple days,” Freeman said.
It’s the latest in a trying stretch for the Dodgers’ respected first baseman, whose youngest son, Maximus, was hospitalized last month after a severe bout of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological condition that left the 3-year-old temporarily paralyzed and requiring physical therapy as he continues his recovery. Within a couple of weeks of his return to the Dodgers, Freeman jammed his finger when a groundball in St. Louis took a funky hop; he’s been playing with a nondisplaced hairline fracture on his right middle finger ever since.
“It’s what we’re dealt with in 2024,” Freeman said. “Glad we were able to respond with a win yesterday (a 7-3 walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Rays). Everyone is sad that he’s no longer here, but we have a job to do.”
(Photo of Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
