Who did the Braves Trade for Matt Olson?

Olson was acquired from the Athletics on Monday in exchange for two highly touted prospects, catcher Shea Langeliers and outfielder Cristian Pache, as well as right-handed pitchers Ryan Cusick and Joey Estes.

Last summer, the Braves offered Freeman a five-year, $135 million contract, and they were willing to raise the figure significantly this offseason.

With the idea that the Yankees and Dodgers would be willing to offer more, the waiting game evolved to a point on Sunday night, when Anthopoulos believed he needed to move on to ensure Atlanta had an elite first baseman for the upcoming season.

Olson meets that description, and he now has an opportunity to show off his incredible abilities in his own country.

The left-handed hitter graduated from Parkview High School in suburban Atlanta in 2012, a competitor of Brookwood High School, where Braves manager Brian Snitker’s children went.

The Braves may want to extend Olson’s stay in Atlanta beyond two seasons. B.B. Abbott, whose exceptional stable of players formerly includes both Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, represents the first baseman.

In each of the past three seasons, Olson has hit at least 29 home runs in 162 games. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, he hit 37 home runs.