What’s the holdup on an extension for Braves ace Max Fried?

The Atlanta Braves are a well-run organization with few notable flaws. The team does a great job retaining its young talent, but allows veteran stars (like Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson) to leave in free agency. 

So what does this mean for ace Max Fried, a 29-year-old left-hander coming off a runner-up finish for the NL Cy Young Award? 

Fried, under team control for the next two seasons via arbitration, signed a one-year, $13.5 million contract in February, per Spoctrac. The deal is well below market value.

The Braves usually buy out arbitration years for their young players before free agency, but that hasn’t happened yet for Fried. Perhaps the team is waiting on another domino to fall in order to pay him.

Braves outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna signed a four-year, $65 million contract in 2021 (per Spoctrac). His off-field antics, combined with his subpar on-field play, have resulted in a contract albatross for the team. He’s owned $16M this season and $16M in 2024. 

What does this mean for Fried? Well, the team likely views this situation as an opportunity cost. 

The team has tried (and failed) to trade Ozuna multiple times, per MLB.com Braves beat writer Mark Bowman. If they ever manage to do so, a Fried extension may become a top priority. 

That reality is why Braves skipper Brian Snitker said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Marcell is gonna be on our team.” The team has no other option but to hope (and pray) that Ozuna reestablishes his value this season so it can trade him and thus free up money to pay Fried. 

The Braves are already over the first luxury tax threshold and may be reluctant to go any further after signing eight of their lineup regulars to contract extensions over the past four seasons. 

It’s likely that the Braves simply can’t afford a Fried extension at the moment. 

That said, next offseason presents an opportunity to free money as several short-term contracts are set to expire, including outfielder Eddie Rosario ($9M), catcher Travis d’Arnaud ($8M) and pitcher Charlie Morton ($20M), per Spoctrac. 

Re-signing their ace left-hander is surely a priority for the Braves, but they need to free up money to do so. Fried must wait his turn, but it seems likely that a deal will get done until next offseason.