Atlanta Braves fans have finally started coming around to the idea that Max Fried is moving on in all likelihood. Nothing is certain until he actually signs to be sure, but there has been little indication from anyone that the Braves and Fried are working towards a reunion and the number of teams that are rumored to be pushing to sign him only gets longer and longer.

As one of the top starters available this offseason, Fried deserves all the attention he is getting. That is obviously little consolation for Braves fans as most would greatly prefer Fried’s return in a perfect world and not have to watch another star like Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson move on. However, Fried’s robust market isn’t all bad news even if the result is still likely to be painful.

MLB insider Mark Feinsand recently put out a list of teams that are the best fits for Fried this offseason. Not only did he include the Braves as a possibility, but a lot of the landing spots he mentioned wouldn’t actually be all that bad for Braves fans outside of a couple of truly stomach-churning exceptions.

Current Max Fried landing spots are surprisingly acceptable with a couple of brutal exceptions

The idea of a Braves reunion with Fried has been sufficiently parsed from both sides, so we won’t spend much time there. If his demands are reasonable and Alex Anthopoulos doesn’t have a concrete plan elsewhere for how to use Atlanta’s newfound payroll space, the Braves should obviously try to make that happen.

According to Feinsand, some of the better fits for Fried this offseason include the Blue Jays, Giants, Orioles, Rangers, and Red Sox. Any of those AL teams would be pretty palatable for Braves fans as Fried could deliver some suffering to teams Atlanta would love to see cry (looking at you, Yankees and Astros). The Giants wouldn’t be ideal as they are in the National League still, but they are easily the least offensive of the west coast options.

Unfortunately, Feinsand’s list also includes the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees. The Dodgers adding Fried after already having Freeman on their roster would be truly painful to watch even if the fit makes sense for them. The Mets deserve nothing but misery in their lives and if Steve Cohen throws a bunch of money at Fried, it could create some real problems for the Braves in the division. As for the Yankees, well…no one wants to see Fried in pinstripes.

Now that Fried has declined the Braves’ qualifying offer and the awards season is pretty much behind us, fans can expect the free agent market to pick up some steam. Many experts think that things could heat up leading up to the Winter Meeting this year, although Scott Boras may have other plans as he is known to have. Hopefully we will get more concrete news on Fried’s market soon and it won’t be too painful.

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