Max Fried discusses his decision to play for the Braves before becoming free agency.

Filling needs both now and down the road has been some of Alex Anthopoulos’ best work during trade deadlines in the past; this year, he might do something similar for the Braves rotation. At the trade deadline, Joe Jimenez, Pierce Johnson, and Raisel Iglesias were acquired. Iglesias still has years left on his Angels contract, but Jimenez and Johnson inked new contracts this offseason. A similar strategy may be used in the rotation. It’s not really necessary because Atlanta’s starters have been among the best in baseball for a while. As All-Stars, Max Fried, Chris Sale, and Reynaldo Lopez may face off against any 1-2-3 in baseball.

On the back end of the rotation, Charlie Morton and Spencer Schwellenbach along with A.J. Smith-Shawver, Bryce Elder, and Ian Anderson should be plenty down the stretch. However, as the Braves know as well as any, injuries can quickly pile up and leave Atlanta’s rotation shorthanded headed into October.

That’s one reason to potentially add to it, but Anthopoulos may kill two birds with one stone because the rotation has more questions than answers in 2025. Charlie Morton’s retirement is looming, and Spencer Strider is coming off a serious injury, but more than anything, Max Fried’s free agency is the biggest threat to the Braves starting rotation.

Atlanta’s ace is in the final year of his contract, and his departure will hurt the unit more than any other. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2019, he owns a 3.01 ERA across 131 starts for the Braves with a 67-26 record. The Braves Southpaw has been arguably the best lefty on the planet for several years now.

With that kind of track record, Max Fried is in line for a lucrative free agent deal, sparking much pessimism among Braves fans about the club’s chances of retaining him. Like Dansby Swanson and Freddie Freeman before him, Fried isn’t shy about how he feels about the franchise and staying in Atlanta for the rest of his career.

“I 100% love the organization. Obviously, there’s a lot of stuff that — in the middle of the season, we’re focused on a lot of other things. But I truly do, I have loved my time in Atlanta. I love it. Definitely would love to be here.” Fried told Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

That’s the same sentiment that Swanson and Freeman shared before their respective free agencies. I am sure that all three are genuine when saying they would enjoy playing for the Braves for their entire careers… as long as the money is right.

As Max Fried continues to shine on the mound for the Braves this season, his price tag continues to rise. Anthopoulous will make a competitive bid; there’s no doubt about that. Unfortunately, desperate clubs will do desperate things, and the starting pitching market is out of control.

There’s no telling what Fried’s number will be by season’s end if he stays healthy. The Braves, the fans, and Max Fried all want the same thing, but there’s a long, narrow road to getting there.