3 aces Braves should already have an eye on to replace Max Fried
By Mark Powell
Braves could replace Max Fried with either of Milwaukee’s twin aces
Corbin Burnes would be the ideal replacement for Max Fried, as he’s one of the best pitchers in the National League. Burnes finished first in NL Cy Young voting in 2022, one spot ahead of Fried, who finished second.
However, Burnes is also in a high-profile arbitration case, and would likely cost just as much as Fried, if not more. Milwaukee faces their own struggle to find a trade partner for Burnes in a few years if they’re unable to come to a long-term agreement with him. Given the price of pitching this offseason, offloading Burnes will make more sense to a mid-market team like the Brewers than signing him to a Jacob deGrom-like contract.
On the other hand, Atlanta could acquire a pitcher like Brandon Woodruff, who while not as capable or young as Burnes, is still a solid top of the rotation arm. Woodruff is about to enter his age-30 season, and has plenty of productive years left in his arsenal. The two-time All-Star finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2021, and pitched to a 3.05 ERA and 1.070 WHIP last season in what was considered a ‘down’ year by his standards.
Woodruff would cost less, both in prospect capital and in actual money were the Braves to sign him long-term. These two teams have a trade history, as well, as Atlanta recently dealt William Contreras to the Brewers as part of the three-team Sean Murphy trade.