The Atlanta Braves have extended a qualifying offer to Freddie Freeman, but Alex Anthopoulos says the club's goal is to "keep him a Brave."

Freeman officially became a free agent Sunday after Atlanta's exclusive negotiating window expired.

"Look, he's a free agent. By rule, obviously I can't say a whole lot, other than what I've said in the past," Anthopoulos said. "We love him, he's great, we want him to stay, he wants to stay.

"How the process plays out and goes from there ... I can't really get into any specifics. But very similar to what I've said in the past, our goal is to sign him and keep him a Brave."

Freeman, 32, has spent his entire professional career with the Braves.