Atlanta Braves news: Rival executive has refreshing take on Max Fried arbitration case

As it turns out, maybe Max Fried’s arbitration case isn’t the end of the world for the Atlanta Braves after all. One rival executive thinks the drama is manufactured. 

When Max Fried lost his arbitration case to the Braves — receiving $13.5 million instead of the $15 million he preferred for 2023 — some fans assumed it was worst-case scenario. While Atlanta had won the battle over Fried’s 2023 salary, they may had angered their ace to the point of no return.

But, per at least one MLB executive, the drama of arbitration is often used as fodder for agents during negotiations. However, the player rarely takes it personally.

“I promise you that Max Fried has zero ill will towards the Atlanta Braves for taking him to arbitration and losing arbitration. Zero,” Former MLB executive David Samson said, via Audacy. “It is all manufactured. Agents use that to try to make owners uncomfortable with arbitration, to try to get owners to settle, to try to get owners to overpay in the arbitration system because they’re told by agents, ‘Hey, my guy’s going to be unhappy.’”

Will Max Fried sign a contract extension with the Atlanta Braves?

Whether Max Fried stays long-term in Atlanta really depends on Alex Anthopoulos. The Braves executive typically likes to extend players prior to their arbitration years, as they get far more expensive after that time.

Fried’s asking price will be high and Anthopoulos, just as he has with Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson, may not meet it. But that won’t have much, if anything, to do with past arbitration battles.

“That is very much an agent-driven concept. Max Fried is going to perform. The minute he walks out that door he’s not thinking about it anymore, he’s focused on winning the Cy Young and, more importantly, getting back to the World Series,” Samson continued.

That’s one less thing Braves fans have to worry about.