A contract extension between the Atlanta Braves and Max Fried is unlikely prior to spring training, meaning the 30-year-old ace will play out the remainder of his contract before becoming a free agent next winter. As Braves fans found out the hard way with Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson. stars don't always stay in Atlanta despite the team Alex Anthopoulos has assembled. Much of the cost of winning comes with the roster turnover.
Fried is a homegrown ace and a good one at that. However, he's also coming off a severe injury and due a ton of money in free agency. Anthopoulos is averse to that sort of long-term deal for a pitcher over the age of 30 years old. As FanSided's Robert Murray wrote, these two sides could be headed for a divorce.
"Anything is possible, of course. Perhaps Fried and the Braves find common ground on a long-term deal. But it’s telling that nothing has been agreed to by this point, or even gotten close, and that’s the greatest proof there is that he’s likely headed toward his final season in Atlanta," Murray wrote.
The Braves did not make any drastic decisions to replace Fried this offseason -- at least not yet. Anthopoulos doesn't have much more to spend. With that in mind, Atlanta should have an eye towards the trade deadline or 2024-25 offseason, and some plausible replacements.
4. Braves could replace Max Fried with Corbin Burnes whenever they choose
Corbin Burnes is set to be a free agent after the season, and has been mentioned in trade chatter for the past few years. Burnes is unlikely to re-sign in Milwaukee next winter. Anthopoulos could get a leg up on the competition by trading for Burnes this season and negotiating an extension as part of said deal. The alternative is waiting until the winter and signing Burnes, and thus not forfeiting prospects as a result. A good argument can be made for both options.
Burnes himself is an ace-level starter and would pair well atop the starting rotation with Spencer Strider. Burnes has made three straight All-Star teams and won the NL Cy Young award in 2021. He and the Brewers failed to reach an agreement prior to arbitration for the second straight year. Last spring, Burnes was visibly frustrated with the team after going to arbitration.
“There’s no denying that the relationship was definitely hurt from what (transpired) over the last couple weeks. There’s really no way to get around that,” Burnes said at the time. “When some of the things that are said … they basically put me in the forefront of the reason why we didn’t make the postseason last year. That’s something that probably didn’t need to be said.”
The relationship is unlikely to recover.