3 potential Max Fried trade destinations as his Braves relationship sours

Max Fried’s remaining time with the Atlanta Braves seems, at best, tenuous.

This comes after a negative development between the two sides as Atlanta won its arbitration case over the ace left-hander, filing for a $13.5 million salary figure for 2023. Fried filed at $15 million for the season, which is only $1.5 million more, but that’s just a microcosm of the larger point: this relationship between player and organization appears to be souring.

It’s become clear which players the Braves intend to retain versus the ones they’re content to let walk. Case in point: they let franchise icon Freddie Freeman sign in free agency with the Los Angeles Dodgers just after he helped Atlanta capture a World Series title in 2021. Ditto Dansby Swanson, who signed a free agent deal with the Chicago Cubs this winter after turning down overtures from the Braves, who attempted to keep him in town.

If you don’t fit within the parameters of a team-friendly deal (i.e. Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna Jr., Sean Murphy and the list goes on), you’ve already punched your one-way ticket out of Atlanta. And it seems Max Fried is awaiting a similar fate when he comes due for free agency in 2024.

Of course, the Braves have to know this by now, which is why they should be proactive in considering trade possibilities for Max Fried. This might sound crazy, because Atlanta is trying to win now. But as they’ve shown in recent years, the key to sustained success is to keep reloading. And Max Fried is the kind of player that could net the team a haul now so that when he does become a free agent and becomes too rich for the Braves’ liking, they’ve ensured good compensation for his services.

Potential trade destinations for Max Fried as the his relationship with the Atlanta Braves continues to sour

With all of that said, here are three potential destinations the Braves could send Max Fried in a trade.

Baltimore Orioles

Right off the bat, a unique destination. The Orioles probably couldn’t afford to pay Max Fried top ace dollars when he hits the open market in two years, but they have one of the best young talent crops in the game and were on the cusp of the playoffs last season.

Top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez is close, but they could still use help in their rotation. Kyle Gibson, Dean Kremer, Kyle Bradish, Tyler Wells and DL Hall are all fine options, but not more than that. Trading for Max Fried would equip Baltimore with an ace for the present as their young core has already begun taking shape at the big league level. And the Orioles still have more than enough prospect capital to swing a deal with the Braves.

Max Fried won’t single-handedly make the Orioles AL East favorites, but they would be significantly improved with him leading their staff.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs have reloaded this offseason, bringing in veterans like Dansby Swanson, Jameson Taillon, Cody Bellinger and Brad Boxberger into the fold for 2023. But their rotation still comes with many question marks.

Taillon, Marcus Stroman and Kyle Hendricks all seem like locks to make the club’s starting staff to begin the season, but behind them? Uncertainty abounds. And even the names listed aren’t ace pitchers. The Cubs still need one of those.

Chicago doesn’t have an especially deep farm system, but they have an opportunity to make a splash in a weak NL Central division that has the St. Louis Cardinals as the favorites for now. Trading for an ace like Max Fried could arguably put Chicago in a legitimate position to challenge the Cardinals this season for the division title.

Los Angeles Angels

A team chronically in need of quality starting pitching, the Angels present a logical fit for Max Fried.

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are there, for starters, and the window of contention should always be open as long as they’re in town. Anaheim inked lefty starter Tyler Anderson this winter in free agency, and behind him are options like Patrick Sandoval, Jose Suarez and Reid Detmers. Even with Ohtani leading the pack, though, the Angels have at best an average rotation. No more, no less.

If the Angels are truly going to maximize their chance to win with two of the best players in baseball on their roster, swinging a trade for an ace like Fried would demonstrate they’re all in on making that happen in 2023. They may not be on par with Houston and Seattle in the AL West yet, but an Anaheim team with Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and Max Fried would nonetheless be a force to be reckoned with.