The free agent pitching market has heated up significantly across Major League Baseball. Another big name has been taken off the board as southpaw Blake Snell signed a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Snell was originally on a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants but exercised his opt-out for the 2025 season. He bet on himself for a season and it rewarded him handsomely.
A lot of attention will be paid to Snell's health as that's the main concern with a long-term deal for the lefty. However, if any team can afford to take the chance, it's the Dodgers. LA now has a rotation featuring Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and eventually Shohei Ohtani. They are also expected to pursue top international free agent Roki Sasaki in January. Although, there is some speculation that he won't land in the City of Angels.
Right now, the attention is on Snell and the impact his signing will have on the rest of the league. His five-year contract has an AAV of $32.5 million. That is A LOT of money for a pitcher who has famously struggled to stay healthy.
What does this mean for the Atlanta Braves and their hopes of bringing back Max Fried?
Blake Snell's multi-year deal with Dodgers will complicate Braves' attempts at reuniting with Max Fried
At first glance, it made it a bit more expensive which added some complications. Secondly, it caused Fried's market to become even more competitive than it already was.
According to MLB insider Mark Feinsand, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles were all in on Blake Snell before the Dodgers snagged him. This means those teams will now pivot to the next best available and that includes Max Fried.
Feinsand reported, "The Red Sox and Yankees are believed to be seeking a left-handed starter, which could ultimately mean a bidding war between the rivals for Max Fried."
In wake of Blake Snell to LA, the Red Sox will now focus on Max Fried to headline their rotation, per @BNightengale. pic.twitter.com/MM9kPte7GK
— Boston Sports Gordo (@BOSSportsGordo) November 27, 2024
Boston has been linked to Fried a good bit this offseason as they are reportedly very interested in adding him to their rotation. They had an interest in Yusei Kikuchi as well before he signed with the Angels. This means their focus is going to shift toward the talented southpaw known affectionately as Maximus.
Fried doesn’t throw as hard as Snell and isn't known for being a huge strikeout pitcher. However, he walks fewer batters, induces a lot of ground balls, and is younger. A similarity he does share with Snell is that he hasn't reached the 200-innings pitched mark at any point in his career.
However, Max has been excellent consistently and has shown his ability to be a dependable starter. He's also won a World Series which is something Snell hasn't done.
Ben Clemens of FanGraphs proved just how good Fried is as he stated that over the last six seasons, "Only one other pitcher has thrown more innings with a lower ERA and racked up more wins: Gerrit Cole". He continued, "Fried's 18.4 pitching WAR also ranks 12th over that span."
Max also has the accolades to prove his worth as he has been selected to two All-Star Games, is a three-time All-MLB selection, and is a three-time Gold Glover. Those factors all help Fried in his pursuit of a multi-year contract.
FanGraphs has his projected contract at five years, $140 million for an AAV of $28 million. That is about on track with what many have speculated Fried deserves in free agency. With Snell's recent deal, it could be closer to a $30+ million AAV.
That's a tough pill for the Braves to swallow in an offseason with so many holes to fill and a budget to consider. Fried has dealt with forearm issues over the last two seasons and that's not the kind of injury teams want to worry about with a pitcher with that kind of contract. Atlanta has never been willing to hand out large multi-year contracts to starting pitchers and likely won't start now.