For the third time in four seasons, the Atlanta Braves have lost an elite member of their team to free agency. This time, one of the heroes of the 2021 World Series, Max Fried, heads to the New York Yankees.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the Braves are losing a star player to a bigger market (having to watch a former face of the franchise dominate in the World Series is still a fresh wound, after all), but how does it rank in terms of the biggest betrayals in team history?

From a scandalous offer sheet to an agent/player fall out, these are the biggest betrayals in Braves history.

Atlanta Braves betrayals that hurt the most in franchise history

Rafael Furcal

After the 2005 season, the 2000 Rookie of the Year left the team for the Dodgers, signing with L.A. for three-years and $39 million.

The shortstop’s time in Atlanta was solid, putting up nearly 22 bWAR acorss the six seasons. He was a slightly below-average hitter (95 OPS+), but he was above-average on the base paths and on defense.

This departure wasn’t the betrayal, however. That happened three years later.

Furcal, who had three solid seasons with Los Angeles, hit the free agent market again. The Braves, who were in the market for a middle infielder, offered him a three-year, $30 million deal. The infielder’s agent, Paul Kinzer, then asked the Braves for a signed offer sheet.

In their eyes, this was a handshake agreement. Instead, Kinzer continued to negotiate with the Dodgers, potentially using the Braves offer as leverage to get Los Angeles to bump up their offer.

Furcal eventually decided to sign with the Dodgers for three more years for $30 million, with incentives.

The Braves were furious. John Schuerholz said, “Having been in this business for 40-some years, I’ve never seen anybody treated like that,” and also said they’d never do business with the agency again.

Max Fried

Max Fried not staying staying loyal to the Braves wasn’t shocking. After all, it was always assumed the lefty was looking for a big contract on the free agent market, one Atlanta wouldn’t be willing to match.

Still, it hurts to watch the former anchor of the rotation leave in general, let alone for the Evil Empire. At eight years, it will hurt to watch the lefty saw off hitters for almost another decade in pinstripes.

A World Series ring, a playoff appearance in every full season he pitched in, and the star of the rotation for multiple seasons in a row with the Braves, but by the time he retires, he will be known as a New York Yankee.

Tom Glavine

For 16 seasons, Tom Glavine was an integral part of the Braves big three starters. He was the 1995 World Series MVP and was on a clear path to the Hall of Fame. He had signed multiple extensions to keep him with the team as long as he did, but in 2002, he hit free agency.

Glavine perferred to remain with the Braves and would taken less money from the Braves. However, both the Mets and Phillies gave hearty offers of four years, while the Braves were only willing to offer three.

In a moment very similar to another Braves icon, Glavine let the one extra year dictate where he went, going to a despised rival in the New York Mets. Glavine initially openly criticized the Braves for how they handled the negotiations, before backtracking and apologizing.

Still, the damage was done, Tom Glavine was no longer a Brave and deserted the team for the Mets.

Dansby Swanson

On Friday, Dansby Swanson homered off Jacob deGrom.

On Saturday, he homered off Max Scherzer. pic.twitter.com/8yZ4Fv2ob6

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) October 2, 2022

When Dansby Swanson was acquired from the Diamondbacks before the 2016 season, the hope was that he’d become the Braves Derek Jeter. While he fell far short of those expectations, the hometown kid was still a solid shortstop and a proud member of the Braves. He even started a brand call All Things Loyal to show his love for the city.

However, going into the 2022-2023 offseason, it was clear that Swanson might be out of the Braves price range. When he inked a deal with the Chicago Cubs for seven years and $177 million, it was no surprise his hometown team wasn’t willing to match a contract for a enigmatic player.

If things ended there, it would have felt like a betrayal equal to that of Fried’s. Unfortunately, it did not.

Instead of simply saying that he enjoyed his time in Atlanta but was looking forward to his future with the Cubs, the Atlantan decided to take a dig at his hometown, saying, “Pro sports in Atlanta are like, well, kind of a deal.”

When Swanson returned to the Braves, he looked back on his time fondly, but it still felt insulting, considering all that he accomplished with the Braves.

Freddie Freeman

Freddie Freeman World Champion.

What a moment. pic.twitter.com/m0DQTyN3GP

— MLB (@MLB) November 3, 2021

There have been countless pieces written on how Freddie Freeman, who seemed like he was following along in Chipper Jones’s shoes, left for the Dodgers, and there are still things we don’t know, but the fact remains, number 5 left.

Whether it was a bad strategy by his agent, greediness by Freeman himself, or Anthopoulos wanting a younger first baseman, Freeman had a contract offer on the table from the All-Star Break onward. Freeman, had the chance to become the highest paid first baseman in baseball had he taken the offer and a Braves legend in the same stratosphere as Chipper Jones and Hank Aaron.

Instead, he went against the advice of Chipper Jones and demanded a sixth year.

The Braves weren’t willing to meet his demands, either at the year or annual salary basis, and moved on to acquire Matt Olson before the first baseman market completely dried up. Freeman, who basically overplayed his hand, went to the Dodgers on a contract that’s arguably worse than the one the Braves offered.

Freeman was devastatd for it all, like Braves fans, and ended up firing his agent over the negotiations.

To make it all hurt even worse, Freeman has absolutely been worth his contract and then some. In addition to three outstanding seasons with L.A, Freeman decided to have the playoff series of his life, leading the Dodgers to the World Series and earning himself the World Series MVP.