The Atlanta Braves have been at the center of MLB news over the last 24 hours due to their activity on the trade market. Most recently, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos made the surprising move to acquire one of the game's premier catchers in Sean Murphy. The deal made waves throughout the Majors, but now there seems to be a new rumor that is just beginning to bring its head to the surface.
Jim Callis, a senior writer for MLB Pipeline, joined The Hot Stove on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the Sean Murphy acquisition and he dropped an interesting nugget as he signed off (skip to about the 6-minute mark for the quote).
"Can I give you one quick tidbit?” Callis asked the show before exiting, to which they hastily agreed. "One rumor I'm hearing -- I don't know that's gonna be imminent -- you know, with the Braves payroll climbing, climbing, you know, who knows if they'll sign [Sean] Murphy to an extension, but I'm hearing some Max Fried rumors on the block, that they may not be able to sign him long-term. Don't be shocked if we see a Max Fried trade this off-season."
The report that the Braves could be shopping their ace quickly took off, and many reporters were quick to try and dispel the rumor.
Despite what they say, Max Fried still remains without an extension as of today and will be an expensive piece when it is all said and done. That is especially true if a player of his caliber hits the open market. Fellow ace pitcher Carlos Rodon is out on that market currently and is reportedly seeking upwards of $200 million for his services.
Max Fried would certainly command something similar.
The Braves have never exceeded the $23 million AAV threshold at any point in their payroll's history, and that was on a one-year contract (Josh Donaldson in 2018). The largest current long-term deals are Austin Riley (10 years, $212 million) and Matt Olson (8 years, $168 million), and while they are the largest in team history, neither exceeds that AAV.
With a potential deal for a shortstop that could command that much this offseason, what are the odds that the Braves have the money left on hand to retain Max Fried? He still has two years of team control, so a deal is unlikely this offseason, but it's not inconceivable that the front office could be looking at a backup plan so they don't walk away empty-handed.
It's worth noting that the Majors are in the midst of the "hot stove season" and the rumor mill is running rampant. Regardless of that, the front office will need to make a decision before he becomes an unrestrictred free agent in 2025.