The Atlanta Braves named their young hard-throwing, 25-year-old right-hander Spencer Strider as their Opening Day starter. It’ll be Strider’s first Opening Day start after Max Fried has started the past three for Atlanta.
With Fried set to be a free agent after this season, could Strider getting the Opening Day start over Fried be a subtle hint from the Braves this could be Mad Max’s last season in a Braves uniform?
Beau Morgan says this was the right move because of the fact that he thinks Fried’s days in Braves uniform are numbered.
“This is right. It’s Spencer Strider’s pitching staff really moving forward because I love Max Fried more than probably anyone in Atlanta, but I don’t expect Max Fried back after this season," Morgan said. "This will probably be his last season because of the money, so why not, and Strider has been your most dominant pitcher the last two years."
Now, this decision could simply be because of the fact that Strider is 8-0 with a 1.90 ERA in eight regular-season games (seven starts) against the Phillies, including 3-0 with a 1.42 ERA in three starts at Philadelphia. However, the rotation is set up to where Fried will be the starter for the Braves’ home opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It may be looking too deep into a decision that is strictly numbers and performance based, but it could also be a look into the future, and an early statement that, like Beau said, shows this is now Spencer Strider’s pitching staff.