Elite Max Fried backup plan could be surprisingly affordable for the Braves

After three straight seasons of being eliminated prematurely in the playoffs, the Atlanta Braves have some tough decisions to make heading into 2025. In recent years, we have seen the Braves let cornerstone pieces like Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson walk in free agency. Now it could be Max Fried's turn, especially if Atlanta feels that they have options.

The Braves outfield is a big question mark after Jorge Soler was dealt to the Angels, and it is anticipated that superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. will not be ready for Opening Day.

As challenging as this dilemma is, the biggest focus for the Braves right now should stay on their starting rotation. Left hander Max Fried is in the free agent market, and it appears that his asking price may be too high for Alex Anthopoulos regardless of what Fried has done for the Braves over the past 8 seasons. Letting Fried walk in free agency would be a tough pill to swallow for Braves fans, but Atlanta could already have their sights set on a potential replacement.

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Jordan Montgomery to Atlanta could fit the bill

If you have followed the MLB offseason news to this point, you may be a little confused why anyone would predict that Jordan Montgomery would be in a Braves uniform in 2025. In fact, on Halloween, Montgomery exercised his player option to stay with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the 2025 season and earn $22.5 million.

Quite frankly, Arizona is overpaying for a starting pitcher who went 8-7 with a quite high 6.23 ERA a season ago. Montgomery also had some control issues as well, issuing 44 free passes in just 117 innings of work.

Jim Bowden predicted that Arizona and Atlanta would make a deal to send Montgomery to the Braves. If the southpaw performs anything like last season, why would Arizona not want to dump his salary? While that may seem far fetched on the surface, a lot of this makes sense for Alex Anthopoulos.

Montgomery's $22.5 million salary is insanely cheap compared to the offers that two-time All-Star Max Fried is anticipating. Additionally, with only one year on his contract, the Braves can consider Jordan Montgomery an experiment and move on if he is unable to revive his career.

Joining a starting rotation with reigning NL Triple Crown winner Chris Sale (18-3, 2.38 ERA, 225 Ks) could be a major assest for Montgomery. He seems like a perfect fit in Atlanta if Max Fried decides to take more money elsewhere.