3 aces Braves should already have an eye on to replace Max Fried

Could Braves sign Max Scherzer?

If Atlanta does move on from Max Fried, could Max Scherzer make more sense?

Fried and Alex Anthopoulos are scheduled to be entrenched in arbitration battles for the next three seasons. That doesn’t sound productive for the Braves, and it may make more sense for them to get what they can for Fried sooner rather than later.

If they deal Fried next offseason, they can make a run at one of the top free-agent starters, which includes Max Scherzer. The Mets ace would have to opt out of his deal at an advanced age, but after seeing what Justin Verlander received from Steve Cohen this offseason, that makes more sense now than ever before.

FanSided’s Tim Boyle explained Scherzer’s status in a recent article:

"“The mega-deal the New York Mets signed Max Scherzer to includes an opt out after the 2023 season. It’s too soon to guess what Scherzer will decide. He can simply take the $43.33 million owed to him or try and test the market for another similar short, high AAV deal. If Justin Verlander was able to get the deal he did this winter at an older age, maybe Scherzer does, too.”"

Anthopoulos would have to give Scherzer a high AAV, but the benefit of his age is that the term of his contract would be far shorter than a Fried extension. Atlanta has signed the majority of its core to long-term, low-AAV contract, so they can afford to make a signing like this.

It’s beneficial for the Braves, as well, since they won’t be tied to Scherzer long-term. When Scherzer decides to retire — or when the deal expires in just a short few years — Atlanta can re-enter the free-agent market, or perhaps they’ll have another ace in the making in the minor leagues.