Max Fried is feeling healthy after an injury-plagued 2023 season, and the Braves ace is looking to focus just on baseball rather than a possible trip to free agency next winter. “I feel like a lot of that is, I would say it’s out of my control right now,” Fried told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Justin Toscano and other reporters. “But the Braves do things a certain way, and I know that privacy and having that just kind of be more behind closed doors is the way things are done, so I’m gonna respect that. But I know that I love being here, and I’m really excited to get started with this group….We didn’t accomplish what we wanted to last year, but I know that we have a really determined group, and I’m really excited to get started.”
It isn’t known whether or not the Braves and Fried’s reps at CAA have had any more talks since the two sides discussed an extension last spring, since as Fried noted, the Braves tend to avoid leaks when it comes to transactional or contract news. Atlanta is more aggressive than any other club when it comes to extending players, yet the fact that Fried has gotten so close to free agency might hint that either side might ultimately be comfortable in parting ways next winter.
More from around the NL East…
- Stone Garrett’s season ended on August 23, when the Nationals outfielder fractured his left fibula and broke his left ankle crashing into Yankee Stadium’s right field wall in pursuit of a home run ball. The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden has an update on Garrett’s status, writing that the outfielder has been proceeding as planned with his six-month recovery projection and might be ready for the start of Spring Training, though both Garrett and the Nats will proceed with caution. Garrett discussed many aspects of his rehab process, providing some interesting details into the physical and mental challenges that go into recovering from such a serious pair of injuries. The 28-year-old Garrett has hit an impressive .271/.335/.477 over 355 career plate appearances with the Diamondbacks and Nationals, and looks to have earned himself a more regular spot in Washington’s lineup if he is healthy.
- The relief corps has been a target area for the Mets this offseason, including the recent re-signing of Adam Ottavino. SNY’s Andy Martino writes that the Mets still weighing whether or not to add yet another reliever to the mix, and Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that the club has a particular interest in left-handed bullpen help, with Wandy Peralta one of the names under consideration. Peralta was initially connected to the Mets earlier this month, and he is no stranger to the Big Apple after pitching the last three seasons with the Yankees (new Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is also the Yankees’ ex-bench coach). Brooks Raley is currently the only southpaw slated for a regular role in the Amazins’ bullpen, so some more lefty depth would certainly appear to be a useful addition.
$250MM awaits you, Max.
“$250MM awaits you”..He’s a decent pitcher with size, workload and injury questions. If my team could get him on a Zack Wheeler type contract(5/130M)I would say it’s maybe worth the risk(with injury clauses in contract) but at 250M he’s a bad, risky investment. Myself, I think Dallas Kuechel in his prime is a good comp to Fried.
Dumb opinion.
Dumber reply
You’d never manage to make a FA signing as a GM because you’d lowball literally every player
So what you’re saying is he has a job with the Red Sox in his future?
“You’d never manage”…I do tend to value players less than their agents do. Guilty as charged. But, I think losing a player here and there is better than over leveraging yourself and leaving little payroll flexibility or room to make changes.
He’s only pitched more than 100 innings like 3 times iirc.
You don’t recall correctly. It was 5. His link is in the article to confirm.
This dude saying “iirc” like he casually remembers the player’s career innings year over year
I’m a Braves fan, this comes up all the time.
Yes, he added the caveat “iirc” in his comment. However, it wasn’t necessary. All he had to do was to ACTUALLY READ the article. The information was in the article.
I just looked it up on baseball reference. He’s pitched 165 innings twice and 185 innings once for a total of 3 times.
Look at minors as well.13,16,19,21,22. All over 100 innings.
You should click on the link. It’s 3 – 2019, ‘21,& ‘22.
Nah. Perhaps you should. Or clarify your comments.
@JesusChryslerSuperCar It’s far better than that.
165 or more innings in 3 of the last 4 full seasons, with only 2023 as a down year in terms of durability, but still worth 2.7 bWAR in those 77 innings. So his OFF year was worth $20 million plus in the FA market.
In those 3 other seasons, 2019, 2021, 2022 he’s worth around 5 WAR per season. His ERA+ since 2019 is 146. Do that for 2500 innings and they put you in the Hall of Fame. Aside from deGrom and Kershaw, the list of comparable pitchers performing at that level is short to nonexistent, depending on how you slice this and that.
Wrt Smacky, ‘make a comment that tells me you won’t have anything interesting to say about baseball for at least three years.’
Well he’s only been a full time starter for 5 years and I’m pretty sure no MLB pitcher pitched over 100 innings in 2020. Max has pitched over 160 innings in 3 of the 4 seasons he’s been a starter that didn’t involve Covid. The only year he didn’t just happens to be the most recent.
Yeah Fried is gone. If Freddie and Dansby walked, no way they’re bringing Fried back.
The thing is this is not a very predictable scenario because he is a pitcher who could easily get hurt coming off an injury plagued season. If he doesn’t stay healthy a good chunk of the year who knows. If he’s healthy all year he’s gone imo. I know the Braves like the player so if there is any scenario where they get him at a good discount it very possible they’d bring him back. But then the injuries would be a concern for them too.
cbraves: Freddie walked because he (& his agent) played around and screwed up. Freddie should’ve heeded Chipper’s advice. Re Dansby it was pretty much a no brainer that he’d walk. Ya can’t (honestly) blame the team for that.
About Freddie, it was because of his agent. But he was the face of the team and the Braves would have given him the extra year if they really wanted him to come back. I agree with you on Dansby, Cubs overpaid for him somewhat, but a shortstop is a premium position and the price for a quality shortstop is pretty high. May not seem so high a couple years from now. But Fried is looking at a $200MM+ payday, and the Braves are taking a pretty big luxury tax hit as it is. He looks less likely to return than Freddie or Dansby ever did.
The Yankees need help in the bullpen and they know it. Who is a better fit than someone who has been reliable with them for 3 years and has shown he can handle pitching in NY. Sign Peralta already.
They may be counting on Scott Efross and Johnny Loaisiga to make up Wandy’s innings. Neither are lefties though and Wandy was really good against LHHs.
Efross is likely never going to be great vs LHH because of his almost submarine-type delivery.
@wilhar: Maybe he doesn’t want to re-sign with the Yankees.
If Fried has a season where he’s in the running for a Cy Young, that’s gonna put AA in a real interesting position.
What position is that? Dansby not coincidentally had a career-walk year and Freddie led ATL to a championship and AA hurt his arm waving bye to both.
All signs seem to point to Max Fried leaving. The Braves are fast tracking Hursten Waldrep and are currently carrying 11 potential starters on the 40 man roster (12 if you count the injured Ian Anderson). The search for his replacement has already begun.
I hope to see fried stay long term, but being the braves I doubt that happens. At the end of the day though if he stays healthy, has a cy young type year and leads the braves to the world series I for one wont complain if he leaves and chases his bag. Itll be well earned. I just hope one of the youngsters ajss or hursten waldrep proved to be a wonder for us and they can be a good number two in the future minimally offsetting frides departure. But if they have some hiccups I hope the braves bring in a proven starter next year either via trade or free agency so we can still be a world series threat with a great rotation. Also if the Yankees let Peralta go to the Mets that’s a shame. Hes proven to be very valuable to them and knows how to pitch in New York and does it great while wearing pin stripes.
Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz left.
Okay? What’s the point of that? I know that fried will leave as well, that doesn’t take away from anything I said in my comment. I don’t want the braves to take a step back if we lose fried, wether that be signing or trading for a proven starter, or one of the youngsters proving they can be a potential star,which would offset the loss of fried.
I have no clue how Smacky meant his post, but after reading ” Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz” I also thought about Phil Neikro. As a long term Braves fan it has always seemed that some of our fan favorites leave (although not always under the same circumstances). It is just a fact of any team sports.
Atlanta Braves baseball will go on, with or without Fried. It always has, it always will (lol although I like him pitching for Atlanta).
Fried is going to be a Dodger by the start of 2025 season is my guess. He is more than likely headed to the west coast atleast
Ohtani, Yamamoto, Glasnow, Gonsolin, Bueller (yes I know he’s a free agent but I’m assuming he re-signs). They would seem to already have a full rotation
Yea one of those guys more than likely will get hurt. I can see an over pay just for depth, the way they spending money especially if the don’t make the World Series this year
In that rotation, LAD would have 6 TJ surgeries between the 5 members (2, 0, 1, 1, 2) — including Ohtani and (in your scenario) newly-resigned Buehler both have 2 each. Has any rotation ever had 2 TJ survivors simultaneously pitching?
Fried will definitely go back to the west coast, but I’m thinking more SF than LAD.
You might be right RunDMC, but Dave Roberts has been quoted not long ago as saying that Fried “is the best lefty in MLB.” Thinking they’re already leaning in Fried’s direction.
So do they let Buehler walk and sign Fried?
Both of them will probably be offered the LAD Special—–a mountain of long deferred cash.
“The relief corps has been a target area for the Mets this offseason, ”
—-Hitters in 2024: The relief corps of the Mets will be a target-rich environment this season.
Hope Stone Garrett fully heals and is a regular for the Nats this year. I’d love to see what he can do over a full season.
Who are the Amazin’s? Do they own the Mets now?
Stone Garrett is a total daytime soap opera character.
Good call.
I think the Braves would be willing to give then 31 year old Max Fried a 5 year deal around 25-27 million per year so 125-135 million deal.. They may even include a 6th or 7th year but with team buyouts included on it. Problem I see is some other team will either go 5 years 30-35 million per and/or offering more guaranteed years. Look at how Braves did with Morton gave him an initial contract and since then just extend him a year as long as he keeps preforming at the same amount. He would get same stuff.