Fried avoids hearing, Minter gets raise at arbitration deadline

ATLANTA -- Max Fried avoided going to an arbitration hearing for the first time in the past three years and A.J. Minter gained a nice raise from the Braves on Thursday prior to the arbitration deadline.

A source confirmed Fried agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal and Minter agreed to a one-year, $6.22 million contract. These veterans had been the Braves’ only unsigned arbitration-eligible players.

All MLB teams had until Thursday at 1 p.m. ET to reach an agreement with their arb-eligibles. Those who don’t reach an agreement would need to exchange figures in preparation for a salary arbitration hearing.

The big question surrounding Fried is whether this will be his last season with the Braves. This agreement doesn’t provide any more clarity, but had the left-hander gone to a hearing for a third straight year, the public sentiment about his long-term future in Atlanta would have become more negative.

Fried finished fifth in balloting for the National League Cy Young Award in 2020 and second in '22. He posted a 2.55 ERA while left forearm inflammation limited him to 14 regular season starts this past season. The southpaw, who will turn 30 on Jan. 18, remained healthy over the season’s final two weeks.

Minter and Fried both debuted for the Braves in 2017 and thus have been with the club through its run of six consecutive NL East titles. Both of these left-handed pitchers were Super Two-eligible players because of their early service time. Consequently, they both were given an extra arbitration-eligible season.

Fried’s salary rose from $3.5 million (2021) to $6.5 million ('22) to $13.5 million ('23) to $15 million ('24) during his arb-eligible seasons.

Minter’s salary rose from $1.3 million (2021) to $2.2 million ('22) to $4.3 million ('23) to $6.22 million ('24) during his arb eligibility.

Minter has posted a 3.13 ERA over 206 appearances for the Braves over the past three seasons.