Why Braves great Max Fried confirmed himself as 2025’s top free agent pitcher with no-hit bid?
On Saturday, Braves pitcher Max Fried was on the verge of becoming a franchise legend after going seven innings without surrendering a single hit. However, in the bottom of the ninth inning, closer Rasiel Iglesias allowed a home run to JD Martinez of the New York Mets, ending the joint bid. Fried could now be history for the Braves.
At the start of the 2024 season, things weren’t going Fried’s way. For starters, he was no longer regarded the team’s ace. Spencer Strider, the opening-day starter, was given the honor. Strider suffered an elbow injury after two short starts, terminating his season and returning Fried to the ace position. Fried’s first two starts, however, were not very impressive.
Fried failed to make it out of the first inning in his debut against the rival Philadelphia Phillies. He faced seven hitters and allowed two hits, three runs, and three walks while collecting only two outs. He finished the day with a 40.50 ERA. Yeah, you read that correctly.
The second start was marginally better, as he faced the Arizona Diamondbacks, last year’s National League Champions. Fried lasted four and one-third innings, allowing 10 hits, eight runs (seven earned), one walk, and a home run.
All it took was a game against the NL East’s lowly Miami Marlins to get right.
Max Fried is reminding everyone he will be a top free agent pitcher in 2025
Max Fried’s next two starts against the Marlins yielded a total seven hits and one run while striking out ten, one of which was a full game shutout. For the most part, that is the Fried that Braves fans have come to know and love in recent years.
However, there was a hitch in Los Angeles, as the Braves lost to the Dodgers. But can you really blame him with that tough lineup? Fried made it through seven innings, allowing four hits, four runs, three walks, and two home runs while striking out seven. Fried’s start was the best the Braves could offer in the series, which the Dodgers swept after outscoring them 16-3 in the final two games. But the Braves’ lefty is learning a lot from that game in Los Angeles.
“Just command and the way I was throwing the ball, I was getting a ton of ground balls, a lot of weak contact, and just left a couple pitches over the plate that went over the fence,” Fried told Tyler Kepner of The Athletic on Saturday of his prior start against Los Angeles. “Whereas today, for me personally, there were a lot of hard-hit line drives — 95, 100, 105 (mph) — and when the ball is in the air, it’s normally not when I have my best outings.”
Overall, in his last six starts, Fried has put together an excellent body of work in which he has entirely disconnected himself from his work at the start of the season. He started 0-2, but has since gone 3-1, giving up a total of eight earned runs with a 1.79 ERA, enabling hitters to slash.134/.222/.209.
“Max is his normal self,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud explained. “It’s great to see him come back after his first two starts of the season. Obviously, he didn’t want the season to start that way, and he’s shown it in his last few starts. It’s been nice playing behind him since he attacks and makes rapid (outs).
Max Fried is making it difficult to remain with the Braves
Fried’s no-hit effort against the Mets on Saturday at Citi Field capped his recent comeback. During his contract season, many wondered if Fried was beginning to pitch his way out of a huge new deal that was scheduled to be signed at the end of the season rather than into one. After witnessing his last six performances, Braves fans are undoubtedly attempting to enjoy their final moments with their favorite left-handed starter before he moves on to a different team next season.
The 30-year-old is now on a one-year, $15 million contract. However, he will receive a much longer and more lucrative deal this winter. Given the Braves’ recent history with contract extensions, or lack thereof, Fried likely has a little more than a handful of starts left in his Braves uniform.
Back in March, The Athletic’s Tim Britton broke down what Fried is likely to ask for when he enters the open market. If he avoids any big setbacks from the ailments that plagued him in 2023, Fried may be looking at seven years and $195 million, or something in that neighborhood.
Under general manager Alex Anthopoulos, the Braves haven’t given long-term contracts to players in their late thirties. Charlie Morton has been an outlier, having an extensive resume and a number of shorter-term contracts.
Fried’s performances have been a nice addition to the Braves since Strider’s sad injury. Now all they have to do is make the most of their time with him while in uniform.
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