Shanks: The Atlanta Braves better never let Max Fried get away
Even though Max Fried was drafted by the Padres 10 years ago and then traded to Atlanta, he came up through the Braves organization. It’s almost a John Smoltz-type story, as Fried first wore another uniform but is known for what he’s done in Atlanta after being included in a deal.
The Braves developed Fried. They stuck with him in the early going of his career, allowing him to become a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher in time. And now, a few years later, Fried is one of the best pitchers in the National League.
And the Braves better never let him get away.
Fried is two years away from free agency, so why should we be worried? Well, probably because the Braves have allowed a star player in Freddie Freeman already walk away, and we are days from seeing it happen again when Dansby Swanson picks a new team in free agency.
Sure, we should be pleased General Manager Alex Anthopoulos has kept many of the core players on this team. Ronald Acuna, Jr., Ozzie Albies, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Michael Harris, and Spencer Strider are all here to stay for years to come. That’s great, and that proves the Braves do want to keep young players together for the long-term.
But they got bargains in all of those deals, contracts given a bit early at a very reasonable rate. Freeman, Swanson, and in two years Fried are stars who deserve top contracts, and as a pitcher, Fried may be in line to get the largest one.
When the Braves began the rebuild in 2014, Fried was one of the first acquisitions. And the Braves hoped one day he would become an ace. He was the seventh pick of the 2012 draft, the top high school pitcher selected. The only reason he was available in the Justin Upton trade was he had just had Tommy John surgery. If not, there’s no way he would have ever been included.
And an ace is exactly what he’s become. Remember, there is a difference between a number one starter and an ace. Julio Teheran was a number one starter for several years with Atlanta, but he was not an ace. We’ve seen Fried develop into the one pitcher you want on the mound in a big game.
When Atlanta was a win away from winning the World Series in 2021, Fried was the one they all wanted on the mound. In the first inning against the Astros, he was stepped on by a baserunner going to first base. His ankle was spiked and Fried admitted later “it didn’t feel good.” Instead of coming out, Fried stepped back on the mound and pitched like a man possessed. His fastball popped in the upper-90s, and he was determined he was not going to allow the Astros to score. It was his night, and Atlanta’s night to win the World Series.
That’s an ace. That’s what you hope to find when building a pitching staff. And when you find one, you certainly can’t let him go.
Fried is the best young pitcher the Braves have developed since Tom Glavine and John Smoltz, two Hall of Famers. In his career, Fried is now 54-25 with a 3.09 ERA in 125 games (108 starts). He’s been in the top five of Cy Young voting twice, been an All-Star, won three Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger.
Plenty of pitching prospects have come and gone, and we all hoped the likes of Teheran, the late Tommy Hanson, Mike Minor, Kris Medlen, Horacio Ramirez, or Kyle Davies would become ace pitchers. But whether it was because of injuries, ineffectiveness or trades, it didn’t happen. They were good, but not great.
Fried is great. Fried is who you build a rotation around. Fried is who starts Opening Day games. Fried is who you want on a big game in September against the Mets, or who you want on the mound when you can clinch a World Series championship.
Fried is who you don’t let get away. We do not want to be sitting here two years from now seeing the Dodgers sign Fried away. He’s a Los Angeles-area native, and grew up a Dodgers fan. You know they know that, and they probably have it on their board pinpointing Fried as an option in the 2024-25 offseason.
The Braves must sign Fried now, two years before he gets to free agency. They can’t let him have another Cy Young-type season, as his price will go up higher. Do it now. Buy out his two remaining arbitration years and give him more now to spread the money out.
Some will point to Fried’s age as being a potential issue. He turns 29 next month, so he would be 31 years old in the first year of his new deal. Who cares. This guy shows no sign of slowing down, and he’s determined to get better as he gets into his 30s and into his mid-30s, when some pitchers do break down or lose their effectiveness. There should be no reason to doubt Fried.
It would be shocking if Anthopoulos has not talked to Fried about a contract extension, but that’s where the fear of the Braves being owned by a faceless corporation comes into play. Will they be scared off by similar contracts and simply concede they cannot go that high? That would be inexcusable. This team is printing money with the high attendance at The Battery.
Thursday, Carlos Rodon, a 30-year-old left-handed starting pitcher, signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the New York Yankees. That’s $27 million per season. Rodon is 56-46 in his career with an ERA of 3.60 in 152 games (147 starts). Those numbers are close to Fried’s stats, but Max has been even better in less games.
Is Fried worth $27 million to the Braves? Absolutely. Aces don’t grow on trees. When you find one, you can’t let one go. This team, this young core that has been locked up, will be so much better if the Braves version of Cole Hamels (the version that pitched in Philadelphia) will be leading the rotation.
The scary thought is, if the Braves can’t sign Fried, or simply don’t want to, they probably need to trade him. But let’s not have that thought. Let’s instead hope the Braves have a tweet come out with one of their standard announcements of a new deal for their ace. It should unequivocally be priority number one.Listen to The Bill Shanks Show weekdays at 3:00 pm ET on TheSuperStations.com. Contact Bill at TheBillShanksShow@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Shanks: Max Fried's future should be Atlanta Braves top priority
