GLENDALE, Ariz. — A winter of speculation about whether Freddie Freeman would really leave the Atlanta Braves came to an end on Monday afternoon. He will.

As the Dodgers were taking the field for their first official workout of spring training Monday, news broke that the Braves had traded four players to the Oakland A’s for Matt Olson – a left-handed hitting first baseman.

Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos declined to say Freeman’s name while talking to the media at Braves camp in Florida about the trade but it was clear the free agent first baseman will have to find a new team in 2022.

“Obviously we made a trade today. We traded for Matt Olson to play first base and we’re excited to have him,” Anthopoulos said, explaining he decided Sunday night that “it was getting harder to wait just with the other things we have to do” and the trade with the A’s was finalized Monday morning.

With a catch in his voice at times, Anthopoulos – the Toronto Blue Jays’ GM for five seasons and a member of the Dodgers’ front office in 2016-17 – called the decision to move on from Freeman (without saying his name) “the hardest transaction I had to make” since joining the Braves.

That transaction drew a more favorable reaction in Dodgers camp.

“I think that’s one less team he can go to,” Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger said of his reaction. “I don’t know the details of who he’s got or what he wants to do, but that’s on“e less team that we have to think about.”

Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner said the news was “pretty shocking to me.”

“But that’s baseball,” Turner said. The business side of it.”

With the Braves out of the running and the New York Yankees having added payroll in a trade for Josh Donaldson on Sunday, the Dodgers would appear to be the front-runners to sign the 32-year-old Freeman.

“Obviously, it leaves Freddie kind of out there for us,” Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw said. “I don’t know. I feel great about our team the way it is now. I feel like we have a real chance to win with the guys in this clubhouse. With that said, Freddie’s a really good baseball player.”

Turner might be the most aware of all the Dodgers of that fact, having faced Freeman frequently in the National League East matchups between the Washington Nationals (Turner’s former team) and the Braves (Freeman’s soon-to-be former team).

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“I’ve played against Freddie for a long time now and he’s unbelievable,” Turner said. “I always enjoy getting on first base and talking to him or him getting on second base and talking to him, having conversations. I think he would be a huge, huge pickup for us from many, many standpoints. He’s a special player. I don’t know the situation right now. One minute it’s this. One minute it’s that. I can’t keep up with it that much. But hopefully he comes here.”

The Dodgers’ main competition for Freeman’s services now might be the Toronto. In either case, it would a homecoming for Freeman who was born and raised in Orange County but has played for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic – both of his parents were born in Canada, his mother in Toronto.

“He’s one of the best hitters in the game. A consistent 3-, 4-hole hitter and plays every day,” Bellinger said. “He would help us tremendously. I mean, he would help any team tremendously but he would definitely help us tremendously.

“It’s a waiting game. See whatever happens.”