Freddie Freeman sends direct message to Dodgers' front office on his tenure in LA

Freddie Freeman is having a Hall of Fame career. He's an MVP, a perennial MVP candidate, a nine-time All-Star, a three-time World Series winner, and baseball's active RBI leader at 1,322, tying him at 102nd on the all-time RBI leaderboard with Hall of Famer Roger Connor. If he keeps up his annual average, he'll have 1,487 by the time his Dodgers contract is up after 2027. That would put him between two more Hall of Famers: Dave Parker and Billy Williams.

The Dodgers love Freeman. He didn't need the instantly iconic grand slam in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series to cement him as a Dodgers legend, even though it sure did help. Andrew Friedman has already alluded to him planning to take on a role in LA's front office after he retires.

But when will he retire? One would think that the end of his current contract would give him an easy out. He'll be 38 in September 2027, and he's already slowing down. The Dodgers have suggested they're planning on giving him planned days off in 2026.

But Freeman announced his intentions in the most public venue possible — DodgerFest — telling fans that he'd like to go out after around 20 years in the game. That means tacking on two more seasons when his current contract expires.

Freddie Freeman wants to play for four more years, but should the Dodgers keep him that long?

Of course, Dodgers fans know that you can never count out Freddie Freeman. 2025 wasn't the most productive of his career — he struck out a little more, walked a little less, and his defense got notably worse thanks to a host of injuries he'd been nursing since 2024 — but he's still hitting like a player that's destined for Cooperstown.

And the Dodgers are known for treating for their veterans well. If Freeman wanted to stay for two more years even if he can't manage the workload of a full season, they would keep paying him and would likely platoon him at first base with, say, Munetaka Murakami, who will be a free agent again after 2027. Freeman's age would make him more affordable even if he's still an effective hitter — not that such a thing would be any real obstacle for the Dodgers.

His health might end up forcing both his and the Dodgers' hand by the end of his current contract, but you never know when it comes to Freeman. That said, the man cannot be counted out under any circumstances.