The starting pitching selection for the Atlanta Braves will be a crucial one.
To be honest, the Braves haven’t done the best job of holding onto their star players. Dansby Swanson left Atlanta for Chicago and Wrigley Field, while Freddie Freeman flew across the nation to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Is it possible that the Braves may lose another star to free agency?
Max Fried, the starting pitcher for Atlanta, is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the 2024 campaign. Fried and the Braves reached an arbitration agreement on a $15 million salary for the next season. Fried, one of the top pitchers in the Major League Baseball, will be 31 in 2025. His career record is 62-26 with an ERA of 3.03. In 139 games as a pitcher, he has struck out 697 batters.
With an 8-1 record and a 2.55 ERA at the end of the previous season, Fried had another fantastic campaign in Atlanta. In that time, he walked eighteen and struck out eighty batters. How much would it take to make an attempt to keep Fried in Free Agency? His new contract would probably pay about the same AAV as Aaron Nola’s did this season. Nola agreed to a $172 million, seven-year contract to remain with the Phillies.
Given that Fried and Nola are both the starting pitchers for their respective teams and are roughly the same age, I think Fried’s contract will be comparable to Nola’s. Starting in 2024, Nola will earn $24.6 million annually in Philadelphia. The amusing thing about that is that Nola was offered more money by Alex Anthopoulos in an attempt to get him to leave Philadelphia. That demonstrates that the Braves have the money necessary to complete the task, but it might not be sufficient.
Max Fried is a West Coast child in the same mould as Freddie Freeman. North Hollywood, California is where Fried played his high school ball. Fried was born in Santa Monica, California. Many analysts predict that Fried will use Free Agency to return home. Whether it’s with the Padres, Giants, Dodgers, or Angels. The Dodgers’ financial resources for starting pitchers are evident. It’s expected that the Giants and Padres will join the bidding war as well.
It all boils down to how much AA values Fried in the end. A handful of the younger pitchers the Braves have are almost ready to make the jump to the major leagues. Is he more interested in what players like Hurston Waldrup and Darius Vines have to offer than in what Fried has demonstrated over the course of his eight-year career?
Though my expectations are low, I would want to see a fan favourite eventually remain in Atlanta, therefore I hope the Braves bring Fried back.
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