When the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves meet in the NLCS, all eyes will be on how Freddie Freeman does against his former team.

Freeman is already a legend in both organizations, leading the Braves to a World Series championship in 2021 and the Dodgers to back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025. The fact that Freeman even left Atlanta in the first place was a surprise, though, as he was the heart and soul of the team for a dozen years.

Although Freeman seemed like the perfect player to spend his career with one team, the first baseman surprisingly left the Braves for the Dodgers in the offseason after that first championship. That process had just as much to do with the Braves decision-making as it did with Freeman’s

Here’s a look back at Freeman’s decision to sign with the Dodgers.

MORE: Experts predict every ALDS, NLDS matchup

Why Freddie Freeman left Braves for Dodgers

Freeman hit free agency following the Braves World Series championship in the 2021 season, and most people didn’t expect him to leave Atlanta. However, a variety of reasons led to Freeman signing a six-year deal with the Dodgers instead.

Most notable, this was an offseason in which a lockout stopped the offseason for most of the winter. Freeman was one of the players who didn’t sign before the lockout took place, making it so his free agency didn’t really pick up until the lockout was lifted in March of 2022.

Within a week of the offseason resuming, Freeman went from possibly returning to Atlanta to, instead, signing with his hometown Dodgers. Negotiations between the Braves and Freeman didn’t progress as expected, so Atlanta moved quickly to trade for Matt Olson with Freeman still unsigned.

“This is the hardest decision and transaction I’ve had to make,” Braves president Alex Anthopoulos said about the Olson trade, referring to officially moving on from Freeman.

The Braves signed the then-27-year-old Olson to an eight-year, $168 million deal, choosing to go with a younger option on what they believed was a better value deal.

Once Freeman knew that he would not re-sign with the Braves, he seemed destined to go to Los Angeles. The first baseman grew up in the Los Angeles area, so the allure of returning home was too big to ignore, especially when the Dodgers showed serious interest.

Ultimately, then 32 years-old, Freeman signed a six-year, $162 million with the Dodgers.

“When it came down to picking a team at the end, I have a 67-year-old dad and an 86-year-old grandfather that can now be able to watch me play every day,” Freeman said at his introductory press conference. “Being home and getting to play in front of my family, that’s what made me decide on the Dodgers.”

Five years later, this does seem like both sides ended up in a win-win situation.

While the Dodgers have won two World Series titles with Freeman, as the Braves haven’t even returned to the NLCS since losing Freeman, Olson has played in every single game for Atlanta over five years while averaging over 37 home runs per season. Even though the Braves haven’t won the World Series since Freeman left, it isn’t because they had a hole at first base.

Freddie Freeman Braves stats vs. Dodgers stats

Freeman has been the same player with the Dodgers as he was with the Braves, a testament to his talent and consistency. His slash line is pretty much the same, and he has averaged around 22 home runs per season on both teams.