The Yankees were said to be interested in Freddie Freeman three years ago when he became a free agent.

But somewhat mysteriously — even after negotiations became difficult with his incumbent, beloved Braves — the Yankees were barely linked after an initial talk with Freeman, who may have all but locked up the World Series MVP against them with homers in each of the first four games.

But now a possible explanation finally has surfaced.

“He didn’t want to come here,” a Yankees official said. “He wanted to stay in Atlanta, and if he couldn’t stay in Atlanta, he wanted to go to LA.”

Going into that winter, the Yankees were thought interested in doing a possible $180M deal for Freeman, who was born in Southern California but loved his Braves days.

If true, that could have worked — if he’d craved to come.

Another person familiar with the situation agreed that the Braves and Dodgers were at the very least the top two choices for one of the top five hitters in MLB, in that order.

Freeman, approached by The Post before Game 4, declined to discuss his geographical preferences, not surprising since he was readying himself for the potential Series clincher.

“I had a conversation with [GM Brian Cashman]. They never made an offer,” Freeman told The Post.

Cashman recalled a Zoom meeting he and manager Aaron Boone had with Freeman but only that they weren’t able to match up.

When talks with the Braves soured, Freeman eventually signed a Dodger-deferred deal for $162M over six years that’s worth $140M to $145M.

As it turned out, the Braves’ five-year, $140M bid was probably better financially, but once they gave up hope of getting it done, they traded for Matt Olson, signing him to a $168M, eight-year deal.

Freeman then moved on, and he’s said to be thrilled as a Dodger — understandably so.