For the second consecutive year, the Braves will head to arbitration court to decide Max Fried‘s salary. Last year, it was over just $285,000, which Fried won. This time around, the gap is quite a bit more, as Fried filed at $15 million and the Braves filed at $13.5 million.
For the second consecutive year, Atlanta ace Max Fried will go to an arbitration trial. He's filing at $15 million and the Braves at $13.5 million. Fried won last year's case at $6.85 million vs. Atlanta's $6.6 million and went out in 2022 and finished second for the NL Cy Young.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 14, 2023
I said this yesterday, but it has to be reiterated because I see fans across social media making this a much bigger deal than it actually is. This is completely normal. The Braves aren’t pinching pennies; it is simply how they do business. They are a file and trial organization. If there ends up being a gap, then they go to court, and they aren’t going to operate differently just because Fried is the ace of their staff.
I have no idea if the Braves will eventually get an extension worked out with their All-Star lefty. My gut tells me no based on what has happened with Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson. Fried will command top dollar once he hits free agency, and that’s not something the Braves are going to give him. However, this arbitration hearing will not impact anything. The Braves went to arbitration court last year with Austin Riley over a couple hundred thousand dollars, and then handed him a $200+ million extension in the middle of the season. Hopefully, something similar happens with Max Fried this year.
—
Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.