The Atlanta Braves’ top priority this offseason is reportedly re-signing their long-time pitcher Max Fried. Fried’s spent the last eight years with the Braves, but that run could be coming to an end.
The southpaw ace is projected to land a six-year, $136 million deal, per Spotrac, but the lefty could land a contract worth even more than that.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently predicted Fried would betray the Braves and sign a six-year, $174 million deal with the Boston Red Sox this winter.
Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
“The Red Sox have been aggressive this offseason and I’ll be shocked if they don’t land one of the top free-agent pitchers in this class. Although I keep thinking Fried will go back to the Braves, I could see the Red Sox being the highest bidder and landing him,” Bowden wrote. “Fried is a big-game pitcher and his 58 percent ground-ball rate would be effective at Fenway Park. He posted a 3.25 ERA last season in 29 starts (174 1/3 innings) and was worth 3.5 WAR. He’s pitched to a 3.07 ERA over his eight-year career.”
The Red Sox have long been looked at as one of the favorites to land Fried. Fried was high school teammates with Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito, so we can assume that the two have been in contact about playing together again at some point.
Boston is also likely to be one of the most aggressive teams in free agency this winter. The American League East is full of talent and Boston has been left behind the last few years.
Considering they reportedly have a $600-plus million offer on the table for Juan Soto, dishing $174 million for Fried wouldn’t be a huge issue for the Red Sox.
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