Max Fried Reveals Contract Hopes Ahead of All-Star Game

Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried is a free agent after this season, and he opens up on what he would like to see happen.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried is a free agent after the 2024 season. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Braves have the best pitching staff in baseball at the All-Star break, and one of their aces has spoken out on his future with the club. 

Three-time All-Star Max Fried has consistently been one of the Braves best pitchers and has not skipped a beat the past three seasons. He possesses a 3.01 ERA in 131 starts. More importantly, he has generated a 67-26 record since consistently being put into the team’s rotation full-time. He's in the final year of his contract and is sporting the 16th-best ERA in the majors at 3.08.

Past 11 starts for Max Fried:

▪️73.2 innings
▪️1.95 ERA
▪️68 strikeouts
▪️18 walks

Ace things. pic.twitter.com/PGrzZ2MHQE

— Bally Sports: Braves (@BravesOnBally) June 23, 2024

However, while the likes of Austin Riley, Matt Olson, Spencer Strider, Sean Murphy, Michael Harris II, Ronald Acuña, and Ozzy Albies have signed contract extensions in general manager Alex Anthopoulos’s tenure, Fried has not.

It makes the future of the 30-year-old native from Santa Monica, Calif. a bit cloudy. In a recent interview, the star left-handed pitcher spoke out on his possible final season with Atlanta.

“I 100% love the organization. Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff that — in the middle of the season, we’re focused on a lot of other things. But I truly do, I have loved my time in Atlanta. I love it. Definitely would love to be here.” Fried told Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Anthopoulos has a prime asset to get the bat he needs sooner rather than later if that is indeed the route he chooses. However, with each quality start, his price tag also increases. The question looms - has Fried outpitched ‘AA’s price range for a contract extension? It is hard to envision watching the Braves let one of the best pitchers in baseball walk away for zero compensation with minimal contract talks yet reported. 

Overall, it is also difficult to see the organization truly improving without Max, regardless of the hitter they would bring in. With the team loading up heavy on pitchers in the 2024 MLB Draft, anything is possible as the team consistently has a stockpile of quality pitchers ready.

With just a few weeks before the trade deadline, it is possible that the southpaw could receive an extension of his own before his free agency talks get louder from other teams.