3 new Max Fried trade destinations with Braves ace headed to salary arbitration

Max Fried is the perfect answer for the Cardinals rotation if the Braves will make the trade

Overall, pitching is not a tremendous issue for the St. Louis Cardinals. And based on what the rotation showed last season, there’s reason to believe that the Redbirds should be just fine for the 2023 season. But it’s when you start to look beyond that when things start to become a little more uncertain.

Adam Wainright is back but will turn 42 years old this season. Miles Mikolas is still young in terms of MLB experience overall but is already 34 years old. Then you have guys like Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz who have shown their ability but have also been hampered by injuries. Really, the biggest stroke of confidence for the future is 2022 trade deadline acquisition Jordan Montgomery.

For a Cardinals team that is both set up to win right now but also that needs to have its eyes toward planning for the future, the best way for them to help shore up the long-term rotation would be to return to a familiar trade partner like the Braves and make a deal for Max Fried.

St. Louis has a phenomenal coaching staff that has done extremely well developing arms over the years but the truth of the matter is that they need an ace to hang their hats on as they move forward and as Waino prepares to hang ’em up. Fried fits the bill and would be a big splash for the team to make to ensure that they remain, at minimum, in the NL Central hunt for years to come.