Heavy on Braves
The Atlanta Braves have some work to do this MLB offseason to get back to being a World Series contender. One of the biggest decisions the team faces is attempting to re-sign starting pitcher Max Fried.
The All-Star pitcher is one of the top free agents on the market this offseason. Atlanta is expected to have plenty of competition in attempting to keep Fried wearing a Braves uniform.
Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly offered predictions for the top free agents and has the Braves plucking from one of their top rivals. Kelly projects the Braves will sign Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jack Flaherty to a three-year, $60 million deal with an opt out after the second season.
Let’s take a look at the case for Flaherty being a fit for the Braves.
The Braves Could Sign Dodgers Pitcher Jack Flaherty as a Replacement for Max Fried
Flaherty is coming off a one-year, $14 million contract that the pitcher initially signed with the Detroit Tigers. The pitcher has bounced around with other stints for the St. Louis Cardinals and Baltimore Orioles.
“Jack Flaherty looked poised to be one of this decade’s top starting pitchers when in 2019, at the age of 23, he finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting after posting a 0.91 ERA in 15 second half starts for the Cardinals,” Kelly wrote in a November 11, 2024, story titled, “MLB Free Agency 2024-25: Contract and Landing Spot Predictions for Top 25 Players.”
“But he struggled with health and effectiveness between 2020 and 2023, posting a 4.42 ERA and logging 299 innings across parts of four seasons. Still, the Tigers took a risk by signing him to a one-year, $14 million deal last offseason—despite him having posted a 6.75 ERA after being traded midseason to the Orioles in 2023—and were rewarded,” Kelly added.
“… He was very much a mixed bag in the postseason [for the Dodgers], with a disastrous start against the Mets in NLDS Game 5 inflating his ERA across five playoff starts to 7.36. Nonetheless, he helped the Dodgers—his favorite team as a kid—to win the World Series.”
Braves Pitcher Max Fried Predicted to Bolt for the Baltimore Orioles
There is a lot of moving parts for the Braves this offseason starting with what the team is able to do with Fried. Kelly predicted that Fried will sign a six-year, $168 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles.
This could end up being more money than Atlanta is willing to spend to retain Fried. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos sounded like someone who was bracing fans for the possibility of Fried leaving.
“Obviously, he’s scheduled to be a free agent,” Anthopoulos explained on October 4, per The Athletic’s David O’Brien.“We’d love to have him back, but 30 teams would love to have Max Fried, right? And we’ll see where that goes.
“But he’s sincere. So it makes sense to me that he’s always been sincere about everything here. You know, these guys that become great players, rightfully so, they become really sought after. So, we’ll see where that goes.”
We will see if the Braves participate in the starting pitcher carousel, or if the team is able to re-sign Fried.
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