Dansby Swanson could play role in recruiting Max Fried away from the Braves

The biggest question looming over the Atlanta Braves' offseason is a simple one: Will Max Fried stay or will he go? On the one hand, the left-hander has been a stalwart in Atlanta's rotation, with a 2.81 ERA, two All-Star nods and two top-five Cy Young Award finishes since 2020. On the other, he's also developed a nasty habit of imploding in the postseason — most recently Game 2 of this year's NL Wild Card debacle against the San Diego Padres — and GM Alex Anthopoulos has traditionally not been in the habit of handing out big deals to players (and especially pitchers) on the wrong side of 30. Fried has expressed a desire to remain in Atlanta, and Anthopoulos has left open the possibility, but we know how much pitchers with Fried's track record get paid in free agency and how many teams figure to be in on the bidding war

As if all that weren't enough, one of those teams might have an extra leg up — plus plenty of money and motivation to steal Fried away.

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Could former Brave Dansby Swanson help lure Max Fried to the Cubs?

The Chicago Cubs figure to be plenty motivated to land a starter this winter. Shota Imanaga, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon are locks for next year's rotation, and Javier Assad profiles nicely as a back-end option, but Chicago still needs one more arm to round things out — and preferably an impact one, as Craig Counsell's team looks to jump from 83 wins in 2024 to the 90 or so required to get back to the postseason.

There are plenty of options for Jed Hoyer to consider, including other starry names like Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell. Fried brings more consistency than Snell, though, and will likely be a little bit cheaper than Burnes. He also comes with a clubhouse connection: The lefty played with Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson for years in Atlanta, and it's not hard to imagine that the line of communication has already been opened with both teams home for the offseason.

Of course, the Cubs aren't the only potentially pitching-needy team with an in on Fried. The lefty hails from Southern California, and we know the Los Angeles Dodgers are always looking for more rotation depth. But if Fried is looking for some inside information on a clubhouse's vibes or how he might mesh with a coaching staff, having a former trusted teammate to text figures to help an awful lot.