With Max Fried's future in flux, Braves know fate of another former World Series champion

Max Fried's future with the Atlanta Braves is...unpredictable at best. Fried pitched the Braves final game of the postseason against the San Diego Padres, and it wasn't great!

Fried gave up eight hits and run runs in just two innings. It was a far cry from his usual postseason success, but in the final year of his contract, there is no telling if the left-hander will return to Atlanta next spring give he is in the final year of his contract.

On the 2024 season, Fried had 11 wins and a 3.24 ERA. His stat sheet speaks for itself, and Fried is just a shade over 30 years old. Teams that are in need of pitching, which do not include the Braves, will pay top money for those numbers.

The Braves have four solid starting pitchers under contract beyond 2025, including Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach. There's little need to overpay for Fried, who is sure to receive a huge contract from the likes of the Angels or Dodgers this winter.

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Braves don't have to replace Max Fried, but will need rotation reinforcements

Fried may be spoken for, but Charlie Morton is not. Morton has been fading the last two seasons, and didn't get a chance to pitch in the playoffs in 2024. Morton had eight wins and 4.10 ERA this season. If he wanted to, Morton could pitch for any number of contenders at the back-end of their rotation, including Atlanta, for cheap. He's a commodity the Braves have enjoyed for much of the past half-decade. However, Morton also turned 40 this season, and is likely to retire at some point this winter.

Per David O'Brien of The Athletic, the Braves seem unlikely to retain Morton "even if the 40-year-old decides not to retire. The consensus around the Braves is that Morton is likely to call it a career, though he’s still a solid back-of-the-rotation starter."

With that in mind, the Braves challenge this winter should be adding to the back end of their rotation, rather than replacing Fried. Atlanta struggled with rotation depth this season, especially once Strider underwent Tommy John surgery. Their once-strong farm system is no longer loaded with proven pitching talent, and they shouldn't count on the likes of AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep to come around in 2025.

Alex Anthopoulos thrives in the bargain bin, and that's exactly where Atlanta should look this winter to replace Morton.