$136 million All-Star could cut ties with Braves to join Yankees in free agency

The Atlanta Braves did not reach the World Series in 2024 despite high expectations. They could be losing a key player in free agency before they try and get back on track for 2025.

While listing top landing spots for Braves starter Max Fried, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer listed the New York Yankees as a potential team that could steal Fried away from Atlanta.

"The Yankees have checked in on Fried, according to Jon Heyman of The New York Post," wrote Rymer. "He'll be an especially sensible target if they can't re-sign Juan Soto, which is a realistic scenario."

Fried has spent his entire big-league career with the Braves. He is a two-time All-Star and has set himself up for a nice payday. Spotrac projects Fried to sign a six-year, $136 million deal in free agency.

Losing Fried would be a big blow to the Braves rotation, but they may view shortstop as a bigger priority in terms of spending. Meanwhile, the Yankees have the build of a team that could steal him away from Atlanta. They are a contending team and can spend big in free agency. However, they are waiting for Juan Soto to make a decision before they can make any other free agency decisions.

"Soto is undeniably the organization's top goal for the offseason, though," wrote Rymer. "And even if the Yankees do lose him, their priority should be an offense that is presently missing him, Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo and Anthony Rizzo because of free agency."

The Braves should be involved in the sweepstakes for Fried. With players like Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell available, maybe Fried won't be the top priority for many teams in need of pitching.

More MLB: Braves could cut ties with $7.3 million All-Star via offseason trade