Multiple AL East Teams 'In' on Braves Free Agent Starter Max Fried: Report

If the Atlanta Braves are going to lose left-hander starter Max Fried, it would be better if he signed with an American League team. Apparently, there are multiple AL cities where he could land.

MLB insider Jon Heyman reported the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays "are all in" on Fried. On Nov. 6, Heyman appeared to suggest (of those three possibilities) the Red Sox as the landing spot where Fried fit best.

"Boston is looking to upgrade its pitching, and they don't have a lefty, so Fried could make sense," wrote Heyman.

The MLB insider also wrote that the New York Yankees "checked on" Fried, along with other free agent starters Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell.

The difference between the Yankees checking on Fried and their AL East rivals being "in" on trying to sign the left-hander is unclear. But the thing that's clear is Fried has a lot of potential suitors.

Even before the Braves were eliminted from playoff contention, pundits connected Fried to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fried is a Santa Monica native, so it would make sense for him to want to join former Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and play for the defending World Series champions.

Offseason predictions have also linked Fried to the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets.

Fried has spent his entire 8-year MLB career with the Braves. He went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA, 1.164 WHIP and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings for Atlanta this past season.

Over 168 career appearances, Fried posted a 73-36 record and 3.07 ERA for the Braves. In the 2021 World Series, he led the team to the championship-clinching victory versus the Houston Astros during Game 6,

Seeing Fried pitch for the Yankees or Red Sox wouldn't be a pretty sight. But that would be significantly better than him joining the Mets or Dodgers.