REPORT: Max Fried Expected to Sign with One of Two AL East Teams

Reports early Sunday morning suggest it's a two-team push to sign the Braves longtime starting pitcher

Fried's time with the Braves is all but officially over / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

At this point, Max Fried leaving the Atlanta Braves is considered a forgone conclusion. Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, he is expected to sign with either the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees.

He added that he and fellow free agent starter Corbin Burnes will receive deals that exceed $200 million. Based on the Braves' offseason plans, this is a contract they were never going to be able to offer Fried.

"Fried priced himself out of Atlanta," Nightengale wrote in his MLB rumors piece on Sunday.

Fried rejected his qualifying offer- one year, $21.05 million - from the Braves to hit the open market.

To add insult to injury, he included that Charlie Morton is also "likely out the door."

A huge reason for the large increase in what they're expected to sign for in due to pitchers considered below his pay grade signing to some a nice payouts.

"When Matthew Boyd receives a 2-year, $29 million contract without throwing more than 79 innings since 2019, when Luis Severino is getting $67 million over three years and Blake Snell is making an average annual salary of $36.4 million, Burnes and Fried should top $200 million," Nightengale wrote.

There are still some chips that need to fall in order to determine where Fried lands. Nightengale mentioned that if Juan Soto signed with the Mets, it could lead to a bidding war for Fried between the AL East rivals. Fried could also sign before Burnes or let him sign first to establish a baseline for himself - this is opposed to the baseline set by other pitchers who have already signed.

As more pitchers sign, the remaining become more valuable - simple supply and demand. Let the big spends fight for the top arms left. It's to the player's beenfit.

The push from both the Red Sox and the Yankees has been building up for some time. The Red Sox have been on Fried since the start. They were reported to be making a push for Fried after they missed out on Blake Snell - he signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers. 

The Yankees were reported to have a zoom call with Fried that went "very well."

But regardless of where he ends up, Braves fans have seen the last of Fried representing them.

In 168 appearances with the Braves, 151 of those being starts, he has a 3.07 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and 863 strikeouts. He’s made two all-star games, won three Gold Gloves and has received Cy Young Award votes twice. He was the runner-up to Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcántara for the Cy Young in 2022.