Getty Dodgers potential free-agent target Max Fried
Braves pitcher Max Fried earned an All-Star spot this season, the second in his career, though it has hardly been the best season he’s had in his eight MLB years. Still, Fried has established himself as one of the most consistent lefty arms in the league and with his free agency approaching this offseason, there’s more than some question about whether Atlanta can—or wants to—keep him in place going forward. And the Dodgers should take notice.
Indeed, some around the game expect this offseason to bring something of a homecoming for Fried, who was a first-round draft pick out of Harvard-Westlake High School in L.A. back in 2012 (the same high school that produced newly acquired Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty).
In a livestream entitled, “MLB Offseason Landing Spots,” this week, in fact, Bleacher Report’s Tyler Ward predicted that the odds are more than good that Fried lands with the Dodgers in the upcoming offseason.
“Max Fried and the Dodgers, it is a matter of if and not when,” Ward said.
Max Fried Has Struggled Lately
Of course, the Braves would like to keep Fried, and it is possible that some slow going in both 2023 and 2024 will ding his market in the winter. Fried struggled with injuries to his hamstring and forearm in 2023, and though he was 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA, he made only 14 starts.
He has been healthy this season, but less effective. He is 7-6 with a 3.40 ERA, and has taken losses in three straight starts. His WHIP is up to 1.204, his highest since 2019, and his walk rate jumped to 3.2, his highest since 2018.
Still, he has been good even if he has not been great, and the Dodgers would surely welcome a pitcher who has been so consistent.
“The Atlanta Braves are not a team that is so inclined to want to do long-term extensions, especially for starting pitching. …” Ward said.
“Because of that reason, and because this is Max Fried, a West Coast guy, I know he is a Cali native and I know this would be a man who would be a perfect fit for a rotation that has definitely been in shambles this year because of injuries, has a lot of great talent and will look to do more next year—they’re gonna lose some pieces in the offseason, for sure, but the L.A. Dodgers feel like such a nice fit for Max Fried.”
Dodgers Will Retool the Rotation This Offseason
The amount the Braves are willing to pay Fried almost certainly could be topped by the Dodgers as they look to retool their rotation after this season. L.A. will have Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto returning next season, but there are questions elsewhere.
Clayton Kershaw, coming back from shoulder surgery, could have another shot at returning to the starting group. So could Shohei Ohtani. Rookie River Ryan, too, has impressed. But none is a sure shot to be ready to pitch in 2025. The Dodgers will need at least one starter.
Before the season, Fried was estimated by Tim Britton of The Athletic to be worth a seven-year deal and $195 million. That may have come down as Fried has had his struggles. But he’s still in line for a payday, and no one does big paydays like the Dodgers.
“We’re gonna see some big overpays in this market for sure and I think Max Fried going out West is inevitable,” Ward said. “Now, some people are saying the Giants will overpay for Max Fried. That may be a possibility, that wouldn’t shock me whatsoever. Again, he is a Cali native. I think he is going to land somewhere there for sure, but I do think it is going to be the Dodgers in the end.”
