Dodgers' Freddie Freeman admits retirement timeline has shortened for heartwarming family reason

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Dodgers' Freddie Freeman admits retirement timeline has shortened for heartwarming family reason originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have continued to win games despite going through a bit of a slump to begin the month of May. Los Angeles still sits atop the NL West division standings while the San Diego Padres continue to struggle.

On Monday night, the Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies, and a big reason for the win was Freddie Freeman delivering a go-ahead double.

“Freddie Freeman doubled in the go-ahead run in a four-run seventh inning, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Monday night in the series opener,” AP’s Beth Harris wrote.

Freeman is entering the later stages of his career, but the question now is how much longer he wants to continue playing. Before the season, he made it clear that his goal was to play four more seasons and retire after an even 20 years in Major League Baseball.

“That was just floated because that would be an even 20 years, I’ll be 40. I got a family that I would like to go home to. But I do love this game. I love playing it. But for me, if I can do four, that’ll be 20 years. I think that’s enough,” Freeman said.

However, plans can always change, and nothing is guaranteed. In a recent interview, Freeman admitted that the birth of his daughter has become a major factor in how he views the remainder of his career.

“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. I don’t like seeing my daughter grow up on a FaceTime call. 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?”

While four more seasons may not sound far away, Freeman’s current contract runs through the 2027 season. That means if he feels like he is missing too many important moments with his daughter, retirement could realistically come sooner than expected.

Freeman has already put together a Hall of Fame-caliber career with both the Atlanta Braves and the Dodgers. There may never be another player quite like him, but there are things that will always be bigger than baseball. Because of that, there is a very real possibility that retirement could arrive after the 2027 season.

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