Braves: Bleacher Report ranks Max Fried’s top 10 landing spots

Max Fried’s free agency hasn’t quite materialized past interested parties and declining the Braves’ qualifying offer, but it should accelerate rapidly.

As of right now, the expectation is Fried will draw interest from the Dodgers, Giants, Orioles, Red Sox and Blue Jays, according to reports from Jon Heyman and Jeff Passan. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if more clubs joined the party.

With Corbin Burnes as the consensus top free agent arm, once he signs, the market for Fried should really start to heat up. Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer recently ranked his top 10 landing spots, and the Braves came in shockingly low at 10th. Here is the full ranking:

Rymer sees the Braves as the 10th-best landing spot because, in his words: “This is the same franchise that basically shrugged when Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson reached free agency. The general vibe with Fried feels similar, and whether Atlanta even needs him back in its rotation is debatable.”

I don’t necessarily disagree with Rymer, but it has more to do with the Braves not wanting to pay sticker price for Fried, not because they don’t need him in the rotation. ESPN recently polled anonymous MLB executives, asking them where they thought Fried would sign in free agency. Here’s how it shook out:

Max Fried: Mets 4, Dodgers 2, Giants 2, Cubs 2, Braves 2, Red Sox 2, Reds 1, Rangers 1, Orioles 1

Honestly, the best landing spot from where I sit is either in Baltimore or Boston. Both obviously need a starting pitcher. The former is just entering its championship window, and the latter has a track record of putting together competitive teams.

There are also two landing spots that are glaring nightmares. New York and Los Angeles with the Mets and Dodgers would be a difficult pill to swallow, but Braves fans would be silly to act like those aren’t viable scenarios.

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