Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Freddie Freeman is questioning his future in baseball as he struggles with being away from his family for months of the year.
Last month, after some recent fertility issues, the 36-year-old and wife Chelsea welcomed their fourth child and first daughter via gestational surrogacy. Since then, Freeman’s pursuit of his 3,000th career hit has taken a back seat to London Rosemary Freeman, whose middle name comes from the mother Freddie lost to melanoma when he was just 10.
‘Obviously, getting 3,000 hits would be very, very cool,’ Freeman told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. ‘But ever since baby girl came into this world about a month ago, my perspective has changed a little bit on individual stats and how long I would want to play.’
Complicating matters is the looming expiration of baseball’s collective-bargaining agreement on December 1, which could lead to a prolonged work stoppage next season.
Rosenthal asked Freeman directly about the possibility of labor strife derailing his quest for 3,000 hits, but the first baseman instead focused his response on London.
‘I’m missing things for something she’ll never know,’ Freeman said. ‘She’s not going to know I missed these things either. But it weighs on me and my heart. I think everybody who knows me knows it weighs on me hard.
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman is seen with daughter, London Rosemary, who takes her middle name from the mother he lost to melanoma when he was just 10-years-old
Chelsea Freeman is seen with her daughter, London, who was born via gestational surrogacy
‘All I ever wanted was a family. But all I ever wanted to do was play baseball, too. It’s such a hard thing, it really is.’
Freeman stressed he’s not alone in this area, adding that ‘older guys’ in baseball are forced to miss out on a lot of important family moments.
A former National League and World Series MVP, the three-time champion is currently at 2,481 hits over his 17-year MLB career.
Reaching 3,000 hits in the next few seasons is certainly achievable, provided there is labor peace and he remains healthy. But the prospect of being away from London for the next few summers is something Freeman clearly dreads.
‘I don’t like seeing my daughter grow up on a FaceTime call,’ he told Rosenthal. ‘When I’m sitting in a hotel room by myself at night after a game, I’m just like, “Oh man, what am I doing?”‘
A smiling Freeman greets Will Smith after the catcher homered against the Giants on May 14
Freeman hasn’t quite lived up to his own standards this season, hitting .260 with a .360 on-base and .443 slugging percentages, all of which are well below his career marks.
Still, the Dodgers’ All-Star lineup has been humming.
They’ve scored more runs than anyone besides the upstart Washington Nationals and Freeman’s former team, the Atlanta Braves. What’s more, the Dodgers have an opportunity to improve if Kyle Tucker and Shohei Ohtani return to their usual form. Ohtani’s on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) in 2026 is .879 compared to his career line .922, while Tucker’s dropped to .751, well below his lifetime .857 mark.
And even if Freeman, Ohtani and Tucker can’t match their usual production, there is the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which has allowed a league-best 3.17 runs per game this year.
Perhaps no pitcher has been better than Ohtani, who’s posted an impressive 0.73 earned-run average while allowing just 0.837 walks and hits per inning.
