Top Landing Spots for Free Agent Max Fried

One of the few bright spots for the decimated 2024 Atlanta Braves was their starting pitchers. Whether it was Chris Sale delivering a Cy Young-winning campaign, Reynaldo López delivering a sub-2.00 ERA, or Spencer Schwellenbach looking filthy down the stretch, their rotation was stacked.

More impressive than performance was their durability. Even old man Uncle Charlie Morton gave them 165.1 innings of work, an aspect of the game that often goes unnoticed. 

Let’s not forget about that other lefty who has been so reliable for Atlanta in years past. Besides an injury-shortened 2023 season, Max Fried’s best ability has been availability. In today’s pitching health landscape, it’s hard to ask for much more than that. 

So, the fact that president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos never offered Fried a contract extension (that we know of) in the past few seasons, is quite a shock. Considering he has produced a career 3.07 ERA, losing Fried could be a hard pill to swallow for many Braves fans.

Many of the offensive stars in Atlanta are on team-friendly deals, so why no extension for Fried?

It’s simple: Not every front office executive feels the same way about certain players. Especially with hurlers who are approaching the wrong side of 30. It’s evident that Atlanta was more than fine with letting Fried walk. Especially with Spencer Strider returning and young prospect Hurston Waldrep rising through the ranks.

There’s a slight chance Fried comes back to Atlanta, but I just don’t see it. And the fact that he’s a southpaw? That’s a rarity all teams chase after.

Just look at the Dodgers. They signed Blake Snell to a five-year, $182 million deal. The good news for Fried? Snell has now set the market, and it looks as if Fried is going to get paid a handsome amount. 

Now that Los Angeles has Snell, Fried can eliminate the Dodgers from his list of landing spots. I’ve got some ideas about where he’ll end up in 2025 and beyond. 

5. Baltimore Orioles

Man, it looked as if the Orioles were in good shape just a year ago. Fast forward to the present day and things look bleak for their starting rotation.

Corbin Burnes will most likely be gone, Kyle Bradish underwent Tommy John surgery after holding it off as long as possible, and Grayson Rodriguez failed to take that huge step forward which most people expected in year two.

I believe in the young core of this team and think their offense will be fine. Offense will inevitably come along with a young team. Experience and a few free agent bats should solve that problem. I’m more worried about Baltimore’s pitching depth.

Fried could fit in nicely with the O’s, a team starving for finesse lefties in a sea of right-handed power pitchers. He would bring balance and length to a rotation that desperately needs it. General manager Mike Elias wasn’t afraid to trade for Burnes, giving us the sense that he could be a major player for Fried.

4. Texas Rangers

I see Texas as a sleeper in the Fried sweepstakes. All fans like to disregard them as major players this offseason since they are counting on a lot of injured players returning and bounce-back seasons from key contributors.

Not so fast.

How quickly fans forget that Chris Young and company forked out record-setting money for a middle infield combination of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. They also brought in Jacob deGrom while many other front offices were scared away by his age and injury history. 

The Rangers are not afraid to spend and believe their window is right now, more so than a lot of other squads. Nathan Eovaldi declined his $20 million option to return, opening a significant hole in the rotation. 

DeGrom and Tyler Mahle will be handled lightly as they both ramp back up for full major league seasons. Kumar Rocker has a high ceiling, but he’ll be on an innings limit. Cody Bradford has promise yet doesn’t have a lot of experience.

Besides Jon Gray, I don’t see anyone in this rotation lasting a whole season. Fried and his workhorse mentality could solve that issue.

3. Toronto Blue Jays

When will this team go all in? And if not now, when?

The looming departures of Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are very evident in Toronto these days. Without serious conversations about a contract extension for either one thus far, their departure could soon be an upsetting reality for many fans. 

When it comes to arms, the situation in Toronto doesn’t get much better. The back end of the Blue Jays’ rotation is frightening and needs help in a major way.

If the Jays fail to bring in Fried, they will have to look elsewhere. As far as I’m concerned, they won’t be able to compete in the AL East with only innings eaters like Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and José Berríos. 

None of the above names are aces anymore, while Toronto’s fourth and fifth spots are also up in the air. Will Yariel Rodríguez work out? Does Alek Manoah make a miraculous return? Can one of their prospects turn into a legitimate contributor?

That’s too many question marks for a team expecting to compete on limited time. Fried could bring a steady presence to the staff, something GM Ross Atkins would love to see after a lot of failure in the past. 

They failed to get Ohtani. They failed with many other free agents. However, the Blue Jays might be able to turn their luck around and convince Max to come north of the border.

2. New York Mets

Editor’s note: This article was written before the Mets signed Frankie Montas early on Monday morning. It’s safe to presume they are still in play for a pitcher like Fried.

It’s hard to bet against the deep pockets of Steve Cohen. In fact, that’s exactly why most Yankee fans are currently losing their mind over the whole Juan Soto fiasco.

Regardless of whether or not the Mets land Soto, this team still needs to address its shaky pitching. Yes, Sean Manaea looked like an ace at the end of the 2024 season after changing his arm slot. Yes, Luis Severino was reliable down the stretch after cleaning up some early-season mistakes. Yes, both of those guys are now free agents. 

With expected regression to come from David Peterson and New York’s only true ace being Kodai Senga, this team has some work to do. With a lot of money coming off of 2024’s $314 million payroll, the Mets are expected to be a big player on many free agents this winter. 

President of baseball operations David Stearns will have all of the approval in the world coming from upstairs, something Met fans should be thrilled to hear. I could definitely see Fried donning the blue and orange come Opening Day.

1. Boston Red Sox

Not sure if it’s because Boston hasn’t spent in a while or just the buzz from social media, but Red Sox fans appear to be buying into the energy. And after the last few years of confusing trades and unwillingness to pay, it’s a breath of fresh air.

It’s true that many reports have linked the Sox to some big names. Rumor this rumor that, would Fried make sense for Fenway? 

I don’t see any reason why not, especially considering this team doesn’t need to focus on offensive free agent additions at this time. They have enough bats in-house and know how to develop players well. With one of the best farm systems in the league, their future is bright. 

I even like a few guys in the rotation. But the fact of the matter is that nobody is quite an ace. Tanner Houck, Kutter Crawford, and Brayan Bello have shown elite skills in some areas while falling victim to many mistakes in others. 

Losing Chris Sale was important because even though he was not steadily healthy, the Red Sox still lost their one and only ace. It sort of drains the energy from a clubhouse when you don’t own that sure-fire winner going every fifth day. But there’s an opportunity to change that.

What I would love to see from John Henry and Craig Breslow is to go all in on Max Fried and trade for Garrett Crochet. They have no lefties in the rotation, and facing only righties allows teams to get comfortable throughout the course of a series.

Imagine a one-two punch of Fried and Crochet with great depth from their three, four, and five guys, in addition to the support of a strong offense. 

That’s not just a playoff team, that’s a World Series contender.