Sources - Los Angeles Dodgers' Freddie Freeman fires agents who led offseason contract talks

When Freddie Freeman left the Atlanta Braves and eventually landed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, there was shock within the industry because of Freeman's long history with the Braves.

Now Freeman has fired the agency that represented him in his offseason negotiations, Excel Sports Management, according to multiple sources. Casey Close, who was the lead agent in Freeman's talks with the Braves and Dodgers, did not immediately respond for comment.

The MLB Players Association sent an email to agents on Freeman's behalf Monday, ordering agents to not contact the player. This is common practice when players do not want to be besieged by agents. Freeman is listed within baseball's central system as currently being self-represented.

Freeman, 32, returned to Atlanta for the first time since signing with the Dodgers last weekend and was outwardly emotional, intermittently weeping from the time he first met with reporters before the three-game series began to when he was given a standing ovation by Braves fans near the end of Sunday Night Baseball.

Sources say Freeman indicated to some of his former teammates over the weekend that he was going to change agents, given his frustration with how his free agency concluded in March.

The Braves made a $135 million, five-year offer that was still on the table in the first days after the owners' lockout ended. As reported in March, Close — the lead negotiator for Excel — contacted Alex Anthopoulos, the head of baseball operations for the Braves, and presented two proposals on behalf of Freeman significantly higher than that $135 million offer, giving the team an hour to respond.

When that deadline passed, sources say, Close and Anthopoulos agreed that there were no offers on the table. The