Breaking: Braves Land a Superstar on a Shocking Move: $14 Million Game-Changing Player Makes Stunning Move to Atlanta
The Atlanta Braves still have a Max Fried-sized hole in their rotation. Could they bring in one of his former high school teammates to fill it?
One of the great bits of baseball trivia these days is that Fried shared a rotation at Harvardr-Westlake in Southern California with former Los Angeles Dodgers World Series starter Jack Flaherty and current Boston Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito.
With Fried and Giolito signed, Flaherty remains one of the top free agents on the market this winter. The Braves have four excellent starters at the moment, but adding a fifth could solidify them as World Series contenders.
Flaherty was paid just $14 million last season on a one-year contract, so his hope for this winter is to earn as long and lucrative an extension as he can. Unfortunately, one former Major League Baseball player turned analyst doesn’t think that’s in the cards.
On Wednesday, A.J. Pierzynski of Foul Territory predicted that Flaherty would sign with the Braves, who he speculated were waiting for the price to drop for the star righty.
“Atlanta’s waiting for the price to drop a little bit, I think they’ll swoop in (and) do a short-term deal” Pierzynski said. “It sucks for Jack Flaherty, but I think with his medical issues, he’s going to get a short-term deal.”
In 2024, the 29-year-old Flaherty made 28 starts between the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles, pitching to a 3.17 ERA. Impressively, he struck out 194 batters, his highest total since his breakout 2019 season.
If the Braves can be confident they’re getting a healthy version of Fried, they’ll have to feel great about bringing him into the fold. Such things are never a guarantee with modern-day pitchers, but someone will eventually take that bet.
