Max Fried heading for free agency, future with Braves uncertain

SAN DIEGO — This wasn’t how Max Fried, or anybody associated with the Braves, anticipated he would fare during what might have been his final start for the organization.

Fried experienced both physical and emotional pain as he completed just two innings in the Braves’ season-ending 5-4 loss to the Padres in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series on Wednesday night at Petco Park. The Fernando Tatis Jr. liner he took off his backside in the first inning led to the frustration felt during San Diego’s five-run second inning.

“It’s frustrating knowing that I was the one to take the ball on the last day and put us in the hole, to not be able to at least give us a shot for tomorrow,” Fried said.

There is no tomorrow for the 2024 Braves. But does Fried still have a future in Atlanta? He is the club’s second-longest-tenured player, debuting seven days after Ozzie Albies did in August 2017. But the free-agent market and a significant payday now await.

“[Wearing the Braves uniform] means everything,” Fried said. “It’s the organization that traded for me and gave me the opportunity to come to the big leagues and be an established big league player. I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have absolutely loved every minute of it, and hope to have many more.”

Unfortunately, these are the same sentiments Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson had before they both ended up elsewhere as free agents. Freeman had the fortune of winning the 2021 World Series during his final game for Atlanta. Swanson’s anguish was clearly visible as his final game for his hometown team was a Game 4 loss to the Phillies in the ’22 NL Division Series.

If this was Fried’s final performance for the Braves, he’ll have experienced the cruelest ending. He surrendered Luis Arraez’s infield single to begin his start and then took Tatis’ 99.8 mph liner off his rear. He stayed in the game and escaped the bases-loaded threat that developed after another infield single.

“It caught me right in the glute and it just seemed to tighten up going into that second inning,” Fried said. “I tried as much as i could to get through it, but I just kept missing middle. I wasn’t making good pitches and putting them in good spots. When you’re facing a team like that, you can’t be leaving a ball over the middle of the plate.”

Kyle Higashioka’s two-out homer extended the second inning and set the stage for three straight singles (two of the infield variety) to precede consecutive extra-base hits by Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill.

When Fried was hit, there was reason to wonder if he’d respond like he did when his ankle was crushed while covering first base in the first inning of Game 6 of the 2021 World Series. He tossed six scoreless innings in that clinching victory.

But this start didn’t evolve anywhere near as favorably. Fried has produced a 6.08 ERA over his past eight postseason starts going back to the beginning of the 2021 playoffs. He hasn’t completed five innings in any of his past three playoff starts.

All of this just added to Fried’s frustration. A late-season virus adversely affected his start against the Phillies in the 2022 NLDS and a finger blister added to his challenge during last year’s disappointing start against Philadelphia in the ’23 NLDS.

“I hope he’s back, I really do,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “He’s given his heart and soul to this organization.”