Breaking: Max Fried Enters Free Agency After Declining Braves’ Great Deal
According to Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Max Fried has officially declined his qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves.
This is nothing more than a procedural move. The qualifying offer this year is for one year and a little over $20 million. It’s nothing to scoff at, but Max Fried has his eyes on a much bigger contract in free agency. He was never going to accept the qualifying offer, but the Braves were always going to offer it because they will now receive a fourth-round pick if Fried signs elsewhere in free agency.
To this point in the offseason, it’s been quiet around the league, outside of the Juan Soto sweepstakes. That’s what a lot of the other top free agents are waiting on. Once that domino falls, it should have a ripple effect, allowing many of the teams with the deepest pockets to pivot elsewhere and address their other needs.
