Max Fried was the embodiment of Atlanta Braves pitching for years — homegrown, reliable, and elite when it mattered most. But Braves fans were left stunned and searching for answers when he walked in free agency this past offseason and signed a record-setting $218 million deal over eight years with the New York Yankees. Now, they’re getting one straight from the top.
Anthopoulos Breaks His Silence
In a rare candid interview with MLB insider Jon Hyman, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos addressed the decision to let Fried walk. And while the message won’t soothe every heart in Braves Country, it does pull the curtain back on one of the biggest offseason decisions in franchise history.
“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 said. “Ultimately, we have to make tough decisions… there is only so much pie to go around.”
Translation? Fried earned every dollar of that Yankees contract — but the Braves couldn’t find a way to keep him while maintaining the depth and balance of a 26-man roster. And given Atlanta’s front office history of locking up core talent early and often, the fact that they couldn’t close the gap with Fried says a lot about how wide that financial divide had grown.
The Numbers Behind the Braves’ Decision
Let’s be clear, this wasn’t about being cheap. The Braves rank 10th in payroll this season, according to Spotrac, and they’ve already handed out sizable extensions to key players like Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Spencer Strider. Atlanta isn’t a bargain-basement operation — but they are a front office obsessed with cost control and long-term flexibility.
And Max Fried, entering free agency at age 30 and commanding north of $27 million per year for eight seasons, simply didn’t fit that model anymore.
Meanwhile, in the Bronx
While the Braves have muddled through a .500 start, Max Fried is thriving in pinstripes. He’s 6-0 with a 1.29 ERA through 10 starts — a scorching hot start that has him firmly in the AL Cy Young conversation and has helped catapult the Yankees to the top of the AL East standings.
He hasn’t just replaced Gerrit Cole as the Yankees’ ace — he’s done it while elevating their entire rotation. For Braves fans, it’s a painful reminder of what could’ve been or what used to be.
Atlanta’s Gamble and the Path Ahead
The Braves’ road forward is less certain. They are 24-24 and four games back of a Wild Card spot. Spencer Strider has returned but still needs time to regain full strength. The rotation has been a patchwork affair, and the offense has struggled with inconsistency.
And now, with Fried’s dominance unfolding in the Bronx, the spotlight is squarely on Anthopoulos’s bet: that letting go of an ace in his prime was worth the financial flexibility and long-term depth.
It’s not an easy sell, especially with Fried dominating headlines, but it’s one Atlanta has made before. Letting Freddie Freeman walk paved the way for Olson. The front office has earned trust but is not immune to scrutiny.
Fried Is Gone, But the Stakes Remain
Alex Anthopoulos didn’t dodge the question. He didn’t sugarcoat it. He admitted it was a painful decision, but a necessary one given the “pie” he’s trying to split.
Time will tell if Atlanta made the right call. But if Fried keeps pitching like this and the Braves miss October? The silence that followed his departure might not echo as loudly as the second-guessing.
