Baltimore Orioles Named Suitor for Atlanta Braves Ace in Free Agency

The Atlanta Braves star could be the Baltimore Orioles Corbin Burnes replacement.

Aug 4, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried (54) pitches in a game against the Miami Marlins in the fourth inning at Truist Park. / Mady Mertens-USA TODAY Sports

If the Baltimore Orioles lose Corbin Burnes in the offseason, they'll have some tough decisions to make. They'd need a replacement, as this team would still be looking to win a World Series. 

Losing him would be a disaster for many reasons.

Not only do they have some question marks in their future rotation due to some of the injuries they've dealt with, but other teams have also shown a willingness in the past to spend more on free agents.

Unless the Orioles come up with a trade like they did for Burnes an offseason ago, they could have a tough time landing free agents.

No matter what happens, if they lose him, they have to replace him. If they don't have an ace-caliber arm to go up against the New York Yankees and some other top teams in the American League during the postseason, their chances of winning a World Series would drastically decrease. 

However, there will be other options on the market if they lose him. Of those is left-handed pitcher Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves, who Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report named as a potential suitor for Baltimore.

"Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has let most star players who look to maximize their value in free agency—Josh Donaldson, Freddie Freeman and Swanson—depart. Fried could be next if he doesn't want to take a hometown discount. Among the teams that could make sense as suitors are the Yankees, Orioles, Astros, Cubs, Mets and Dodgers."

Fried hasn't been as dominant as Burnes throughout his career, but he's put up some impressive numbers. He's had a rough campaign compared to years past, posting his highest ERA since the 2019 season.

However, Fried still has a 3.50 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 133 2/3 innings pitched. The hope would be for him to return to his 2022 form, when he posted a 2.48 ERA and struck out 170 hitters in 185 1/3 innings pitched.

Nonetheless, if the Orioles don't want to spend as much money as they'll likely have to in order to keep Burnes around, Fried would be a good addition.

The best-case scenario would be that they re-sign Burnes and add a pitcher like Fried. A situation similar to that one remains to be seen.

With the playoffs coming up, Baltimore will have much more on their minds than the offseason.

In a few months, it's a reality they'll have to face.