The Athletics have been aggressive early in the offseason, with some indication that they were involved in the Max Fried free agency pursuit. However, those rumors seemed to be a bit premature.

General Manager David Forst flat out denied the A's aggressively pursuing Fried, via Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. So even if the Athletics sniffed around early in the process, they were not amongst the bidders still around at the end.

Which makes sense considering Fried got an eight-year, $218 million contract from the New York Yankees. The A's were willing to dole out $67 million to Luis Severino, but that number is in an entirely different ballpark. They had the lowest payroll in baseball at just over $62 million in 2024.

The A's were able to get Severino to sign because they likely offered him the most money. However, Fried was able to get a massive contract while still being in a position to win. While the Athletics are trying to spend, it's going to be hard luring big name prospects in based on their current standing. Once they actually move to Las Vegas, maybe those free agents would be more open to a long-term future with the A's.

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Still, it's fair to wonder what Fried would look like donning the word Athletics across his chest. He finished the 2024 campaign with a 3.25 ERA and a 166/57 K/BB ratio. On the A's, Fried would've led the team in strikeouts and ERA amongst players with 10+ starts.

But those who have either watched the Athletics or seen Max Fried pitch aren't too shocked. Over his entire eight-year MLB career – which has all come with the Atlanta Braves – the lefty has put up a 73-36 record with a 3.07 ERA and a 863/246 K.BB ratio. He's a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion.

And now, Fried is a member of the Yankees. As the Athletics try to work their way back to relevancy, they hope to one day be able to offer a $200+ million deal.