Max Fried's potential last start with Braves was a disaster as Atlanta eliminated

Max Fried debuted with the Atlanta Braves at just 23 years-old in August of 2017. The left-handed pitcher out of Harvard-Westlake entrenched himself into Atlanta's rotation in the beginning of 2019. From there, Fried never posted a season with an ERA above 3.25 or FIP above 3.33.

He established himself as the ace of the Braves, earning two top-five Cy Young finishes along the way. Sadly, last night may just have been the final time we were able to witness Max Fried in a Braves uniform.

The outing wasn't as memorable as Fried's tenure, as he went just two innings in Atlanta's 5-4 defeat against the Padres. The NL Wild Card loss to San Diego not only ended the Braves 2024 season, but perhaps Max Fried's tenure in Atlanta.

Braves bounced from playoffs by a strong Padres team

The Braves went into Game Two hopeful the offense could rebound from their abysmal Game One performance. Atlanta got off to a great start as a leadoff double from Michael Harris II was cashed in thanks to some ABC baseball.

Fried began with a 1-0 lead, but immediately found trouble as the Padres hit a week's worth of infield singles early on. The bases were loaded with no one out, but Fried found a way to escape the jam with the Braves still leading.

The bottom of the second began smoothly with two quick outs, but Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka smoked a solo homer to even the game up. The Padres then reeled off five consecutive two-out hits, and in the blink of an eye San Diego led 5-1.

Fried got the last out, but because he worked so hard (and felt discomfort after taking a 100 mph comebacker off the hip) he would not pitch anymore baseball for the night. From there on the Braves tried to make a game of it with Soler's solo homer, and Michael Harris II's two-run shot in the eighth.

However, it was not meant to be as the Braves went quietly in the ninth thus ending a disappointing 2024 season.

Max Fried should be remembered fondly no matter what happens in the offseason

Now we arrive at our robust offseason content. The biggest question on everyone's mind, "Was last night Max Fried's final start with the Atlanta Braves?"

We know it will cost a lot to bring Fried back, and given Alex Anthopoulos' tendency to shy away from long-term deals with pitchers it's fair to assume we've seen the last of Max Fried in a Braves uniform. However, we'll arrive at that road when it gets here.

For now, it's best to remember Fried as the man who pitched a masterful World Series clinching game in 2021. A man with a 3.07 ERA, 3.29 FIP, 863 K's, and 24.1 bWAR in his near 900 innings pitched across eight memorable years.

No matter what happens in free agency Max Fried was the definition of a Brave both on and off the field. Time will tell if last night was his final outing with Atlanta, but if it was we are thankful to have witnessed the growth of a beloved Atlanta Brave.

Thank you to those of you who joined us in our coverage of Braves baseball in 2024. It was an up and down year, but we are excited as ever to turn the page to 2025 and look forward to some exciting names returning to Atlanta's roster next season. Stay tuned here at HTHB as we crank out a ton of offseason preview content over the coming weeks.

More from House That Hank Built