Since the early 1990s, the Atlanta Braves have been one of Major League Baseball’s most consistent organizations, missing the postseason only nine times in the last 33 seasons (excluding the strike-shortened 1994 season when there was no postseason). Specifically, the Braves have made the playoffs every year since 2018, winning the World Series championship in 2021.
The 2018 season also marked the debut of left-handed pitcher Max Fried, the San Diego Padres’ seventh-round draft pick in 2012. The Padres sent the Los Angeles Harvard-Westlake High School product to the Braves in 2014 as part of a six-player trade that brought Justin Upton to San Diego. Upton would only play one season in San Diego before leaving for free agency.
But Fried went on to have an embarrassment of riches in Atlanta, pitching in the postseason every year beginning in 2018 and starting two games in the successful 2021 World Series. Fried won Game Six of the World Series, becoming only the fourth Braves pitcher to do so and the first since Hall of Famer Tom Glavine in 1995.
Fried Says Yankees Give Him More Chance at Winning
Apparently, none of this accomplishment was sufficient for Fried. Not only did he leave the Braves earlier in December for an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees, but in his first public appearance as a Yankee, he felt compelled to take a backhanded shot at the Braves’ commitment to winning, with the seven-word message, “Winning is a big priority for me.”
“Well, what does that say about Atlanta?”asked FanSided Braves reporter Mark Powell, who said that Fried’s remark and subsequent comments, “should feel like a slap in the face to Braves fans.”
Fried, 30, elaborated on his seven-word statement at his December 18 press conference, saying, “At the end of the day, every year the Yankees come to spring training, the number one goal is to win the World Series.” It’s not about making the playoffs or doing anything other than holding up the trophy at the conclusion of the season.”
Fried has pitched in the postseason for the Braves every year of his career, and the Yankees have made the playoffs every year but one, although they have not advanced past the Division Series round until 2023. They returned to the World Series in 2024, after a 15-year absence, but were defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.
Some Braves Fans Agree With Fried
Was it fair, then, for Fried to appear to criticize his former team, questioning Atlanta’s devotion to winning, given his current team had done no better, if not worse, during Fried’s MLB career? Braves fans may not have liked his remark, but they reluctantly agreed.
“Max Fried’s comments today in his press conference should let all the Braves fans know what Liberty Media’s plans for the team are, and it’s not about winning the World Series,” one user remarked on X (formerly Twitter). Liberty Media is the conglomerate that owns the Braves.
“While the Braves young stars are signed long-term, their farm system needs a rebuild of its own,” Powell pointed out. “Atlanta should be a playoff team next season, but lost in the Wild Card round and hasn’t been active enough this winter to dramatically improve its chances – at least not yet.”
