The Atlanta Braves have a very important free agency period ahead of them. They’re set to watch one of their top pitchers, fan-favorite lefty Max Fried, enter unrestricted free agency. Fried has been a huge piece of Atlanta’s roster and rotation over the last eight years. Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently discussed Fried’s top 10 free agency fits, but before he got there, he looked into Fried’s estimated value in free agency. Rymer predicts Fried will sign a six-year, $160 million contract.

“Though he isn’t necessarily injury-prone, blisters have been a frequent annoyance, and he missed time with forearm issues in both 2023 and 2024. If these things don’t give teams pause, his ties to draft-pick compensation upon his eventual rejection of a qualifying offer might do the trick,” Rymer wrote. “Yet even if it is possible to imagine Fried’s market being colder than expected, his next contract is generally expected to clear nine figures. Along with MLB Trade Rumors, B/R’s Tim Kelly and myself put him in the six-year, $160 million range.”

Fried has done nothing but perform while in a Braves uniform. Over the last five years, he’s posted ERAs of 3.25, 2.55, 2.48, 3.04, and 2.25, respectively. He’s never been looked at as the team’s true ace, especially over the last few years. Over the last few years, Fried has had Spencer Strider ahead of him, and in 2024, Chris Sale broke out ahead of Fried. Still, there are very few arms in the game that Atlanta would prioritize over Fried. Seeing his contract venture well over $100 million won’t be a surprise.