Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos has opened up on the team not signing star left-handed pitcher Max Fried this offseason.
Fried was the best left-handed starting pitcher available and one of the best starters available in free agency. He had spent his entire career with the Braves, including helping them win the World Series in 2021.
Yet, in free agency, Atlanta opted to move on as Fried signed a massive eight-year, $218 million deal with the New York Yankees. It was the largest contract issued to a left-handed pitcher and the fourth-largest deal for any pitcher in Major League Baseball history.
Now, nearly two months into the MLB season, Anthopoulos spoke to MLB insider Jon Hyman and broke his silence on why he didn’t sign Fried.
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“Our payroll is top-10, it’s been top-10 for a few years now. I’ve said this, we want to keep all these guys,” Anthopoulos said. “We want it to become a difficult choice as these guys continue to be better and perform, and Max Fried’s become one of the best left-handed starters in the game, and really paid like that…
“The hardest part about this is you are trying to balance out paying the player what they are worth and also putting a good team around them,” Anthopoulos added. “So, in theory, you can do whatever number it may be, but you are also trying to balance out the roster and fill out 26. As he continued to perform, it was going to be expensive, rightfully so; he earned that. Ultimately, we have to make tough decisions, and I’ve said this and it’s not what everybody wants to hear, there is only so much pie to go around.”
Despite not signing Fried this offseason, Atlanta is still 10th in payroll this season, according to Spotrac. The Braves ended up having a minimal offseason, as Atlanta had already paid several key members of their team, and Anthopoulos couldn’t make the money work with Fried.
With the Yankees, Fried is 6-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 10 starts as he’s an early favorite to win the AL Cy Young. The left-hander is also a big reason why the Yankees are atop the AL East standings.
Atlanta, meanwhile, is 24-24 and four games back of a Wild Card spot.
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