Atlanta Braves dream 2024 rotation if latest Aaron Nola rumors are actually true
By Mark Powell
Braves No. 3 starter: LHP Max Fried
Max Fried's future in Atlanta is as cloudy as ever. He has one year of arbitration left on his current deal, but beyond that there's no guarantee he stays in the ATL. Fried will be over the age of 30 and the Braves have plenty of young pitchers in the hopper, including Elder and Smith-Shawver to potentially take over. If they signed a high-priced free agent this offseason, it could spell the end of Fried in a Braves uniform a year early.
Fried and Anthopoulos have talked long-term extension in the past, but to no avail. Fried would surely expect to become the highest-paid player on the Braves roster, and Anthopoulos has a habit of signing his stars before they reach peak value. Fried, expected to hit free agency, would make more elsewhere. A move to the west coast seems imminent, potentially to the Dodgers or Angels, both of whom will need pitching a year from now regardless of what they do this offseason via free agency or trade.
All that being said, a motivated Fried looking to prove himself in a walk year isn't the worst-case scenario for the Braves. In fact, it could be the send-off Atlanta didn't know they needed. A postseason rotation of Fried, Spencer Strider and a free-agent addition would be a nearly impossible out, and an improvement over what the Braves featured in 2023.
Fried's injury status is a question mark. He sat out several months of the season with an ailment of his own, and wasn't quite the same when he returned in August. That's why sliding him into the No. 3 spot makes the most sense, and doesn't quite offer the same pressure for a pitcher who would be an ace on most teams.