Coveted $136 million free agent linked with an LA move — to the Angels

Nov 15, 2023; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian at press conference at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Angels have been one of the most active teams of the offseason so far. With Major League Baseball followers waiting impatiently for the big names on the free-agent market to start signing with teams, the Angels have made several moves to strengthen last year's 99-loss product.

Most notably, Los Angeles has signed free-agent pitcher Kyle Hendricks, catcher Travis d'Arnaud, infielder Kevin Newman, and traded for designated hitter Jorge Soler. While none of those moves created a wealth of excitement, a proposed link to one of free agency's most coveted arms certainly would.

Fansided's Zachary Rotman muses that the "Angels make more sense for Max Fried than given credit for" and that the team could wind up being the biggest competition for the crosstown rival Los Angeles Dodgers' hopes of signing him.

Fried, along with Corbin Burnes of the Baltimore Orioles and Blake Snell of the San Francisco Giants, are noted as the top starting pitchers available this winter. 

The 30-year-old Fried has pitched his entire eight-year MLB career with the Atlanta Braves. He was one of the few top contributors that Atlanta developed through its minor-league system that the organization did not lock up to a long-term contract, and he is now expected to move on to greener pastures before next season.

In his eight MLB seasons, Fried has logged a 73-36 record with a 3.07 ERA and 863 strikeouts. He started 68 of his 168 games with the Braves with d'Arnaud as a battery mate. Rotman noted that Fried logged an ERA of 2.62 over 409-1/3 innings with d'Arnaud catching him. 

Spotrac lists Fried's market value at six years, just north of $136 million. But a bidding war for his services could push that number much higher.

However, with the Angels having become largely irrelevant in southern California and with the team sorely in need of a staff ace, an investment in Fried could pay off bountifully for Los Angeles' second team.

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