The breakup is still fresh in the mind of Atlanta Braves fans. As soon as general manager Alex Anthopoulos made it a point to not prioritize re-signing him, we knew right away that Max Fried was bound to leave in MLB free agency. He most certainly did that, signing a massive, multi-year contract to join the New York Yankees. As a surprise to no one, Fried has pitched brilliantly upon his arrival.
Amid his historic start in a Yankees uniform, my FanSided colleague Eric Cole made a great point in this article over on House That Hank Built. The team we love and cover absolutely stinks right now, standing at 2-9 on the year after another masterclass from our utterly toothless bullpen. Fried was always going to leave, and we knew he was going to be great right away. Why was he allowed to walk?
Well, this all comes back to Fried's ongoing battle with Father Time. Yes, he may be pitching like the ace of the Yankees staff at 31 years old, but how is he going to pitch once he is 38 years old? As it is with everything, money is rarely the issue when it comes to former Braves stars in free agency; it has everything to do with the length of contract. Anthopoulos is never going to like long-term deals ever!
In his first three starts in New York, Fried is among great company in Rudy and Orlando Hernandez.
20+ K and sub-2.00 ERA through first 3 starts with Yankees
— New York Yankees Stats (@nyyankeesstats) April 9, 2025
Rudy May 1974
Orlando Hernandez 1998
Max Fried 2025
While I fully expect for the athletic Fried to age gracefully into his late 30s, the man is prone to injuries.
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Atlanta Braves are counting on Father Time in letting Max Fried walk away
Truth be told, this is kind of a cruddy way of doing business. While Braves Country would have loved to keep Fried, we should be incredibly thankful he decided not to gravy train it and play for his hometown Los Angeles Dodgers. It has to get better for the Braves at some point, right? If it does, then they will be the first team to start 0-7 and make the playoffs. It is does not, well, heads will roll...
It only takes a few bad decisions to go from being labeled a genius to being saddled with the dunce cap in the corner. Keep in mind that whenever you point the finger that three are pointing directly back at you. Self-awareness and accountability are increasingly rare resources in whatever timeline we are living on, for whatever that is worth. Regardless, both sides were too far apart to make it work.
It was a beautiful ride with Fried. He dazzled us every fifth day, one summer after another. Although I would argue he was largely shaky in the postseason, he is the pitcher of record in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. I hate that it ended, but we have to remember that baseball is at its core a business. Maybe Fried can be the reason the Yankees win their first World Series since 2009 before it is over?
Things are bleak on the diamond in and around Atlanta now, but it is always darkest before the dawn.