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Free Agent Profile: Adding Max Fried would provide stability to the Blue Jays rotation beyond the 2025 campaign
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Photo credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Veronica Chung
Nov 11, 2024, 12:39 ESTUpdated: Nov 29, 2024, 00:38 EST
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Max Fried has accomplished many milestones before reaching free agency this winter at the ripe age of 30 and he is projected to garner much interest from the free agent market this offseason. The former World Series champion will seek an opportunity to cash in on the open market. He’s not without some injury risk after missing time in 2023 and undergoing Tommy John surgery early in his pro career but the competition will be steep to scoop up effective left-handed pitcher, who has shown he can be a top of the rotation arm when healthy. 
Below is a summary of what Fried’s past season looked like and how his market will pan out before the 2025 season begins. 
Max Fried in 2024
During the 2023/2024 offseason, Fried avoided arbitration with the Atlanta Braves and agreed on a one-year, $15 million contract, a $1.5 million increase from his salary in 2023. While the left hander missed time on the IL due to various injuries during the 2023 season, limited to just 14 starts, he was far more productive and effective in 2024 as he pitched 174.1 innings through 29 appearances. 
In the past season, Fried recorded a 3.25 ERA and generated a 3.5 bWAR, trailing behind Chris Sale and Reynaldo López in the Braves rotation. While Fried’s ERA was lower in 2023 (2.55), he also pitched nearly 100 more innings in 2024, so there is an arguement to be made that the 2023 numbers may have been closer to last season’s final lines had he pitched more innings.
The California native finished the season with a 1.164 WHIP and posted a 2.9BB/9 and a 8.6 K/9 to the tune of a 128 ERA+. He saw slightly higher hard rates last season (34.6%) compared to his 2022 and 2023 campaigns (32.5% and 32.9% respectively) but he still sits just over four percent lower than the MLB average in the category. Splits wise, Fried found more success against right-handed batters (.200/.266/.273) compared to lefties (.321/.395/.464) while allowing almost just as many home runs compared (eight against RHB, five against LHB) while seeing almost four times as many right-handed bats on the year. This has been a trend for Fried for most of his career but he did see some elevated numbers against the left-handed bats this season. While Fried does not possess a ton of swing and miss in his game, he has elite ground ball numbers – finishing in the 96th percentile (59.2%) last season.
Fried also managed to earn All-Star recognition for the second time in his career and made one appearance in the Wild Card series against the San Diego Padres, allowing eight hits and five runs through two innings. 
Max Fried’s Contract
Given Fried’s career record of 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA and 3.29 FIP, Fried will command interest from many contenders this offseason and anyone who is willing to pony up the salary to link him to a long-term deal. Fried has three Gold Glove’s to his resume as well as a Cy Young finish in 2022 within a strong (at times) NL East division and has four complete game shutouts on his record, having been a fixture in Atlanta’s rotation since the 2019 campaign. 
One obstacle that could be in Fried’s is his injury history. In the past couple of seasons, the starting pitcher dealt with a few different ailments, including left forearm neuritis, various strains, and a blister issue late in the 2023 campaign. This likely won’t derail to many teams from committing to a long-term deal with the southpaw but something to keep in mind. He also has a spotty track record in the postseason (5.10 ERA through seven seasons) so while the experience is there, teams have roughed him up when the pressure is at it’s highest. 
Spotrac estimates his salary to be somewhere around $22.7 million per year and the folks at MLB Trade Rumors predict a six-year, $156 million contract – a rare find for a starting pitcher 30-years-old or more to gain a sixth year. Fried is also attached to a qualifying offer, so should he reject the deal (which is expected), the signing team will be subject to draft pick compensation at a minimum. 
Is Max Fried a fit for the Blue Jays?
After trading Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros at the trade deadline, the Blue Jays are in a position to recruit some dependable left-handed pitching this offseason to fit in with the group of right-handers the group currenty employs (especially considering top prospect Ricky Tiedemann, a fellow LHP, is currently recovering from Tommy John). With José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, and Kevin Gausman being the core fixtures in the starting rotation entering next season and the likes of Bowden Francis, Yariel Rodríguez, and Jake Bloss also competing for a spot, bringing Fried into the mix would give the Jays arguably the top rotation in the American League and provides future stability considering Bassitt and Gausman are free agent eligible over the next two years and Berríos has a player option following the 2026 campaign. 
Starting pitching is key to any contending team and if the Blue Jays are serious about making the playoff push in 2025, Fried should be on their radar. The left-hander does have a few red flags going off given his recent injury history over the past two seasons but if he can stay healthy, he will be a major help to any team that signs him this winter given his strong ground ball rates and command of the strike zone.
The Blue Jays have also been connected to the left-hander early this offseason but the capital to sign him may Toronto out of the running for other free agents, depending on how much ownership is willing to spend.

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