Every time Dansby Swanson turned around last season, he was being asked about his contract status, and this year Max Fried may have to do the same thing. Fried just lost his arbitration hearing and will play on a $13.5 million contract this season, and has one arbitration eligible season left, but what then? Does Max Fried deserve top tier starter money?
I doubt he'll be asking for Max Sherzer or Gerrit Cole money, at $43 million and $36 million respectively, but it stands to reason that he will want to be in the Stroman, Verlander, Darvish range of $25 million, as he should be. That may not be a good thing for Braves fans, as Andy Bunker and Randy McMichael don't think that the Braves will pony up those kind of dollars for the 29 year-old lefty.