Teams in the American League East are vying for Atlanta Braves free agent starter Max Fried.
According to Yankees commentator Michael Kay, the team held a 90-minute Zoom conversation with Fried on Tuesday. The word is that everything went “very well.”
This isn’t the first time the Yankees have expressed interest in Fried.
The Boston Red Sox were reportedly interested in Fried after missing out on Blake Snell, who inked a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers.
Along with the Red Sox, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that the Orioles and Blue Jays were interested in the 30-year-old southpaw. So, aside from the Tampa Bay Rays, the entire division is focused on him.
At this point, it does not appear that the Braves will obtain Fried, unless something unexpected happens. The list of teams focusing on him is becoming more evident.
Aside from the fact that Fried rejected his qualifying offer – one year, $21.05 million – there have been no hard-hitting reports.
In 168 outings, 151 of which were starts, he has a 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 863 strikeouts. He has appeared in two All-Star games, won three Gold Gloves, and been nominated for the Cy Young Award twice. In 2022, he was runner-up to Miami Marlins starter Sandy Alcántara for the Cy Young award.
According to Spotrac, Fried’s deal is expected to be valued roughly $136 million over six years. However, he is expected to earn more than that. Some internal estimates put the figure closer to $174 million. On Braves on SI, we had it up to $180 million.
