Max Fried headlines the Braves free agent class, but the news surrounding him has been rather anti-climactic. There have been very few reports that suggest Atlanta has much interest in bringing him back, and according to top MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, a decision is expected soon, with three AL East teams battling for his services.

“The Max Fried sweepstakes appear set to conclude with an AL East tug of war between the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays,” Ken Rosenthal writes for The Athletic.

“Fried, the top remaining left-handed starter on the free-agent market, is expected to choose his next team by Thursday, according to major-league sources briefed on the negotiations.”

While all three AL East contenders are in dire need of another frontline starting pitcher, it appears as if the Yankees, who just narrowly missed out on re-signing Juan Soto, have been the most aggressive in courting Fried.

“The Yankees, considering a wide variety of rotation, bullpen and lineup options after losing the bidding for free-agent outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Mets, are “all over” Fried, according to one source with knowledge of their discussions.,” Rosenthal continued.

This coincides with earlier reports from Michael Kay and Bob Nightengale. Last week, Kay reported that Fried and the Yankees had a 90-minute Zoom call that went “very well.” Kay also said the two sides planned to meet again later in the week. Over the weekend, Nightengale reported that it is down to the Red Sox and Yankees for Fried’s services.

Assuming nobody else is involved, it’s hard to imagine the Yankees losing yet another bidding war to a division rival, which bodes well for Max Fried, who is in line to take advantage of a market for starting pitchers that has been red-hot early this offseason.

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