3 teams that could steal Max Fried away from the Braves next offseason
After the season, Max Fried may very well become a free agent. If so, where might he end up?
April 7, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Brett Davis/USA TODAY Sports; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried, 54, wins a gold medal
Apart from the changes the Atlanta Braves have made, one of the more frequent stories this offseason has been about Max Fried’s approaching free agency.
It seems logical that Braves fans are worried about losing one of the best pitchers in baseball and a player who has been crucial to their run of success over the last six seasons, as Fried’s contract with the team expires in 2024.
Fried has made 139 appearances since making his debut in 2017 and has a 3.03 ERA with 697 strikeouts in 710 innings pitched.
He has three Gold Gloves, placed in the top five of the Cy Young voting twice, and was selected to the 2022 All-Star team.
There’s a good chance he will be vying for even more awards this season, assuming he can maintain his health in 2024.
The likelihood of a contract extension with the Braves doesn’t appear very promising at this time. Even though Fried has obviously enjoyed his time with the Braves and the team is fond of him, there may be a significant difference between what the Braves are willing to pay the 30-year-old pitcher who had elbow issues last season and what the open market may offer him, even if both parties want to work things out.
Nor did Fried’s most recent remarks from just last week at the start of his walk year give much hope for a compromise to be reached.
Seeing which other teams might be the biggest threats to lure Fried away from Atlanta might be more informative than concentrating on what his next contract, with the Braves or elsewhere, could or should look like.
It’s easy to say that most clubs in the league would want to have Fried in their rotation, but these are the teams that might be able to both pay Fried enough and entice him to leave.
Giants of San Francisco
This offseason, the Giants have become somewhat of a cliche since they are always the bridesmaids but never the bride when it comes to drawing in elite free agents.
They aggressively pursued Aaron Judge during the previous offseason, but he used their offer as leverage to re-sign a big deal with the Yankees.
They were also forced to back out of a deal involving Carlos Correa after his medical examination revealed some severe problems.
Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both passed on San Francisco this summer, and the Giants are in dire need of bringing in a star player after failing to do so in the previous two offseasons.
As one of the best free agents available, Fried will undoubtedly be on the Giants’ radar next year, even if they would presumably prefer to add a big-time bat.
The Giants do have one advantage: they have very deep finances and are ready to dip into them, even though their present team doesn’t exactly scream World Series contender.
San Francisco is going to be one of the clubs that can and probably will pay Fried Top cash for his services if that is what he is looking for.
The Giants’ west coast location, which may appeal to Fried given his California heritage, adds to the intrigue.
Even though money and winning are considerably more significant factors in free agent decisions than geography, being closer to home could really be a deal-breaker if the offers he ultimately receives are close together.
