It's easy for a fantasy baseball manager to love Freddie Freeman's move to the Los Angeles Dodgers, because if you look at the Dodgers lineup -- now with the five-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger and 2020 National League MVP in it -- it certainly looks just like a fantasy lineup.
Nabbing Freeman is a coup for the Dodgers, dropping what (in this writer's opinion) is the game's most consistent, most durable, highest-floor hitter into what was already a loaded lineup. Consider that the 2019 (16th, 5.47) and 2020 Dodgers (third, 5.82) occupy two of the top 16 spots in terms of average runs per game in the 16 seasons since the widely accepted conclusion of the steroid era (2005), and the 2021 team ranked fourth in the majors with a 5.12 runs-per-game average, in what was regarded as a disappointing offensive season.
There's little question that the 2022 Dodgers need be projected for baseball's largest run total -- and it might be by a wide margin. The Toronto Blue Jays, who similarly have retooled their lineup to attempt a repeat of their third-ranked 5.22 runs per game, could give them a push for top honors, but what matters is that these are two lineups that will provide optimized opportunities for runs scored, RBI and times through the lineup (read: plate appearances) -- something that is often overlooked among fantasy managers, but paramount to success, especially in those "only" leagues.
