The Atlanta Braves are heading into the offseason with some disappointment.
For the first time since 2017, the team failed to reach the National League Division Series, suffering a sweep in the Wild Card round against the San Diego Padres.
The roster was decimated with season-ending injuries to star players like Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider and Austin Riley. They can hope for a better fate next season if those players return healthy and productive. But the front office decision on free agent Max Fried could have major implications for other aspects of the roster.
Outlining the Braves players “who definitely will not return” if the team re-signs Fried, John Buhler of FanSided noted that veteran pitcher Charlie Morton would be one such casualty. Morton may be best known among Braves fans for taking the mound in the 2021 World Series with a broken leg but the team might find it hard to retain him if they make room for a new Fried deal as well.
“Morton is a legend in Braves Country for literally pitching on a broken leg to help this team win a championship,” Buhler wrote. “For the type of money he would want to command to come back for one more year, it is not going to be worth it. I don’t want to pay a 42-year-old $20 million for (a) 5.00 ERA… If the Braves are serious about retaining Fried, then they need to give him Morton’s salary as well.”
Morton is a 17-year big-league veteran who has earned two All-Star bids in his career. In 30 starts for the Braves this season, Morton had a 4.19 ERA that was among the highest of his career. Meanwhile, Fried maintained a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts, including two complete games.
Fried has been projected to earn a long-term deal in the $140 million to $162 million range going forward, presenting a challenge for virtually any team to retain or sign other free agents alongside him.
Still, it’s hardly a sure thing that the Braves will decide to match competing offers for Fried and Morton could very well continue his long-standing career in Atlanta. Buhler predicted that the 30-year-old Fried would ultimately move on from the Braves in the offseason.
“This may be a tad hyperbolic, but I know what he will command in MLB free agency, and I also know what Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos is all about,” he added. “He is never going to pay a 30-something premium to stay.”
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