3 reasons for the Braves to extend Max Fried and 2 reasons why they shouldn't
Max Fried is one of the best pitchers in baseball and will be a free agent after next season, but should the Braves try and extend him?
Since 2019, Max Fried has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball. His 15.1 fWAR in the last four seasons is 14th-best in MLB, despite the lefty missing significant time this season.
But as he enters into what could be his final season in a Braves uniform, is his production good enough for Atlanta to offer a big contract extension? Has he been so good that the team can't afford him?
3 reasons the Braves need to extend Max Fried
1. He's an ace you can't replace
Max Fried is a legitimate ace, and there are very few pitchers of his caliber on the free-agent market from year to year. Even when there are, they come at a high price tag.
Since joining the rotation full-time in 2019, he has the 14th-best fWAR in MLB and the 8th-best ERA.
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Of the 13 pitchers with a higher fWAR over this five-season period, five of them have won a Cy Young Award (Justin Verlander twice, Shane Bieber, Sandy Alcantara, and Jacob deGrom).
Max Fried is the fifth-youngest player of the top-20 starting pitchers since 2019, as well, meaning that if the Braves did opt for top-tier talent that isn't named Max Fried on the free-agent market, they'd almost certainly be getting older.