Braves Rumors: Max Fried extension unlikely, potential reunion, Ohtani buzz?
- Are the Braves going to lose Max Fried?
- Familiar face returning to Atlanta?
- Could Braves now make a play for Ohtani?
By Kristen Wong
Braves Rumors: Don't count on a long-term Max Fried extension
The Atlanta Braves have plenty of talent secured for the long term -- Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley, just to name a few -- but don't count on Max Fried joining that core anytime soon.
The 2022 NL Cy Young runner-up will hit unrestricted free agency before the 2025 season, and assuming he maintains his production for the rest of this year and the next, he's going to be an ultra-hot commodity.
One MLB pundit has given Fried a 55 percent chance of signing an extension with the Braves in the near future.
Another, Sports Illustrated's Lindsay Crosby, believes Fried's chances of staying in Atlanta are even lower than that. Crosby names the main obstacles in the way of a Fried extension: the Braves hold no leverage, the Braves probably can't afford him, and Fried's roots to the Braves only run so deep.
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The money might be the stickler here. As Crosby notes, every single extension that's part of Atlanta's core does not exceed $22 million in any year of the deal.
Unwilling to pay the piper, the Braves have let star players like Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson walk in the past, and those stars have since upped their income elsewhere (Freeman has a base salary of $27 million on the Dodgers, Swanson is making roughly $25 million a year through his age-35 season).
If history is any indication, elite starting pitchers have made bank in free agency, with the likes of Jacob DeGrom, Marcus Stroman, and Carlos Rodon each making more than $22 million a year. For whatever reason, if Alex Anthopoulos refuses to budge on that mark for the star Braves pitcher, Fried can surely find a more lucrative deal with a franchise willing to fill his wallet and then some.