DALLAS – In December 2014, the Braves acquired Max Fried from San Diego. Since then, Braves were all Fried knew. He grew up in the organization. He loved the Braves and their fans. And Braves Country loved him back. He became a staple of a terrific era of Braves baseball.
Despite all of that, Fried has become the latest star to leave Atlanta because he earned a better contract than the Braves were willing to offer him.
Freddie Freeman. Dansby Swanson.
Now Fried.
Fried and the Yankees on Tuesday agreed to an eight-year, $218 million contract, a person familiar with the situation confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In terms of total dollars, it is the largest deal for a left-hander in history, and fourth-largest contract for a pitcher overall.
Fried, who turns 31 in January, will make $27.25 million per year. He’ll be 39 years old when his contract ends.
Fried’s deal doesn’t contain any deferred money. It includes a full no-trade clause. It doesn’t have any opt-outs.
And when you learned of the exact financial terms of Fried’s new deal with the Yankees, you were certain about this: The Braves were never going to pay him that.
The last time the Braves and Fried engaged in meaningful discussions about a contract extension was before the 2023 season, according to a person familiar with the matter. The sides exchanged figures but talks eventually fizzled.
The Braves will receive a compensatory draft pick because they extended a qualifying offer to Fried, who rejected it and signed elsewhere. Fried and the Yankees will visit Truist Park on July 18-20, which is the weekend coming out of the All-Star break. If Fried is an American League All-Star, he could pitch at Truist Park in the All-Star Game.
The contract is a major win for Fried, who deserves it. For Braves fans, it is another cruel and agonizing reminder that, no matter how much they love or care about players, baseball is a business.
On Sunday, Juan Soto agreed to a deal with the Mets. Since then, these Winter Meetings at the Hilton Anatole had been quiet. Then the news of Fried’s massive contract added some juice to the event.
Fried will always have a place in Braves history for throwing six scoreless innings in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series as the Braves closed out the Astros. In that legendary performance, Fried had his right ankle stepped on while he covered first base in the first inning … then finished six scoreless innings after that. In a way, this was Fried: He was often his best after facing adversity. He is a true competitor. And more than that, he exited the rebuild with Atlanta and became part of a successful core.
The final image of his Braves tenure: After a loss in San Diego that eliminated the Braves, Fried sat at his locker in the visiting clubhouse, emotionless, staring into his locker. As his teammates moved around and readied to leave, Fried stayed put. He might have known he had just pitched his final game in a Braves uniform.
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason.Getz@ajc.com
As the offseason began, it seemed the Braves were not a realistic suitor for Fried. With starting pitching prices at an all-time high, Fried clearly priced himself out of what the Braves were comfortable offering him.
Fried, who debuted in 2017, was one of three Braves players who had been present for the entire run of six consecutive National League East titles and a World Series. The others: Ozzie Albies and A.J. Minter. Now, Fried is gone. Minter is a free agent. There’s sentimental value in Fried’s journey from a 20-year-old prospect in Atlanta’s system to a World Series champion and key piece of an outstanding Braves core.
Fried’s Braves tenure ends like this: A 3.07 ERA over 168 regular-season games – 151 of them starts – and 884 1/3 total innings.
The Braves still have Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Schwellenbach. Strider won’t be ready for opening day, but shouldn’t miss much of the season. But the Braves will miss Fried, who is one of the masters of his craft.
Fried is one of the best pitchers in baseball. Teams covet elite starting pitching and there isn’t a ton of it. Fried is a true front-line guy. Fried is a major addition to the Yankees’ starting rotation as the club hopes to return to, and win, the World Series.
Fried has seven good pitches (if you count a slider and sweeper as different). When facing Fried, hitters never see the same at-bat multiple times. He can attack guys in different ways because of his expansive repertoire.
As much as Braves fans will feel pain and sadness over Fried’s departure, perhaps they began to reach a stage of acceptance over Fried. Unlike Freeman and Swanson, who seemed like logical candidates to return, it always felt like Fried and the Braves would struggle to line up on a deal that both sides wanted.
Traditionally, Atlanta hasn’t spent a lot in free agency. And perhaps certain elements of Fried deterred the Braves. But for the Yankees, the big-market team that flexes financial muscle, almost any contract is doable. And Fried will certainly help them in the present and future.
Fried hasn’t had a major injury since he underwent Tommy John surgery as a Padres prospect, but he’s experienced injury scares. And other than that iconic Game 6 – which should be remembered forever – he’s been somewhat shaky in the postseason.
This past season, Fried had a brief injured-list stint due to left forearm neuritis. In 2023, he made only 14 starts in the regular season due to a left forearm strain. He’s never logged more than 185 1/3 innings in a season in his career.
Fried had that epic World Series Game 6 performance, but his next few postseason starts were not great. All three included some form of tough luck for him. In 2022, he fell ill shortly before the postseason and the stomach bug took a lot out of him before he pitched. In 2023, he dealt with a blister at the end of the season that he fought through in the playoffs. This October, a comebacker drilled him in the glute and the muscle tightened up on him in his two-inning start.
On that October afternoon at Petco Park, Fried allowed five runs over two innings. He walked off the mound and manager Brian Snitker lifted him from the game.
It marked the final time we would see Fried in a Braves uniform.
But we knew that then. It is simply official now.
And the next time you see Fried on a mound, he’ll be in pinstripes.
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