Would the Braves ever consider trading Max Fried?

Last night, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Max Fried and his representatives discussed a potential contract extension with the Braves, but the two sides could not come to an agreement and those talks are not currently ongoing.

“According to a person with knowledge of the situation, the Braves and Fried’s camp had discussions about a potential extension before the 2023 season,” Toscano writes. “The sides had a back-and-forth dialogue and exchanged numbers, but those conversations eventually reached an impasse. That is believed to be the last time the Braves and Fried talked about an extension.”

There’s still plenty of time for these discussions to pick back up, and I’m sure Anthopoulos is more worried about next year right now than 2025, but Braves fans have seen this song and dance two times very recently with Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson, who both walked in free agency. Most are expecting Max Fried to leave for nothing at the end of next season, but if that’s the case, would they ever consider moving trading before then?

The thought has to at least have crossed the mind of Alex Anthopoulos. He will leave no stone unturned when it comes to improving the club now and in the future. If he feels the likelihood of extending Max Fried is slim to none, it might be best to start thinking about life without him right now instead of a year down the road.

I don’t find a Fried trade likely because winning this year has to be the top priority for everyone inside the organization, and it’s difficult to imagine the Braves being in a better spot without Max Fried than with him.

The rotation already has enough question marks with Fried being a part of it. Losing him would have it looking like Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton, and a whole bunch of hoping. It’s almost impossible imagining a rotation looking like that winning a World Series.

The only plausible scenario I can think of is the Braves get what they can for Fried right now, which would be a pretty significant haul, and then turn around and use those prospects in another trade for a player or players under team control for multiple years. A deal for Dylan Cease and then some would certainly seem much more probable if the Braves were willing to move on from Fried, but then they could face a very similar situation following the 2025 season.

It’s difficult to picture anything coming to fruition. The Braves are at their best with a healthy Max Fried. Their focus should be on winning a World Series with him right now, and then worry about whatever happens next tomorrow.