Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried has lost his arbitration case for the 2023 MLB season.
Max Fried had been seeking a $15 million salary for next season. The left-hander instead will earn $13.5 million because of the results of his arbitration case against the Braves. Fried is under Atlanta’s control for two more seasons.
Max Fried lost his arbitration hearing w/ the #Braves, so the Cy Young runner-up will make $13.5 million instead of $15M he asked for. Fried also went to a hearing a year ago, winning that one to get $6.85M instead of $6.6M offered by the team. He can be a free agent after 2024.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) February 4, 2023
If Fried hits free agency at the end of the 2024 season, he could sign a contract that makes him one of the highest-paid pitchers in baseball. The Braves ace finished second in the 2022 NL Cy Young race. Fried went 14-7 with a 2.48 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP in 185.1 innings.
Fried finished fifth in the NL Cy Young voting for the shortened 2020 season. Since making his major-league debut for Atlanta in 2017, Fried has pitched to a 3.09 ERA.
One year ago, Fried won his arbitration case. Fried was awarded a $6.85 million salary for the 2021 season, giving him $250,000 more than the Braves’ proposal.
Fried has made a little more than $14.5 million in his MLB career.
If the recent free-agent contracts are any indication, Fried could be on track to sign a contract that is worth north of $150 million. The New York Yankees gave Carlos Rodon a six-year, $162 million contract in free agency this offseason.
Rodon is coming off a pair of top-six Cy Young finishes. The Yankees pitcher was injured for most of the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Fried will be the same age as Rodon when he’s eligible to hit free agency and has largely been healthy for four straight years.
The Braves have won five straight NL East championships. Fried has been Atlanta’s best starter in three consecutive years.
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