The San Francisco Giants have already made a major free agency splash, landing Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million contract. However, Adames isn’t the only big fish the Giants are trying to reel in.
San Francisco has been deemed a serious contender to land Max Fried, via Buster Olney of ESPN. While he isn’t garnering interest from all the major east coast teams, executives are beginning to wonder if he would prefer an offer from the Giants over them.
Olney did not note if San Francisco has already made that offer. However, the fact that player and team are linked shows that there is at least some form of interest. The Giants have already proven they’re willing to spend. Adding Fried to the mix would only make San Francisco’s playoff hopes more legitimate.
Fried has spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Atlanta Braves. Over 168 total games, the left-hander has put up a 73-36 record, 3.07 ERA and 863/246 K/BB ratio. He is a three-time Gold Glover, a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion.
One of Fried’s two All-Star appearances came during his most recent 2024 campaign. He recorded a 3.25 ERA and a 166/57 K/BB ratio. His performance came over 29 games, bucking the injury problems he dealt with a year prior. Now, Fried is ready to cash in.
The Giants could certainly use the pitching help. Logan Webb is a star, leading the league with 204.2 innings pitching while putting up a 3.47 ERA and 172/50 K/BB ratio. However, Blake Snell has departed to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Adding Fried would once again give San Francisco a dominant one-two punch atop their lineup.
Now that Juan Soto has signed, Max Fried is one of the biggest players teams will turn their attention to. The Giants are looking to get to the front of the line and continue their explosive offseason. They’ll have competition, but San Francisco means business early in MLB free agency.
