Fried, Braves likely heading to arb hearing

ATLANTA -- Max Fried might eventually get the long-term extension many Braves fans believe he should get. But for now it looks like Atlanta’s ace will learn his 2023 salary via an arbitration hearing.

All MLB teams had to exchange figures with any arb-eligible players who remained unsigned on Friday at 1 p.m. ET. The deadline led to many one-year agreements, including those the Braves reached with relievers A.J. Minter ($4,287,500 million), Joe Jiménez ($2,765,000), Lucas Luetge ($1,550,000 million) and Dennis Santana ($1 million).

Fried stands as the Braves’ only unsigned arb-eligible player. This simply means he’ll wait a little longer to learn his 2023 salary. Fried filed for arbitration at $15 million, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, while the Braves filed at $13.5 million.

Teams are permitted to continue negotiating with unsigned arb-eligible players, but the Braves are among those that have adopted the practice of going to a hearing with players who remain unsigned beyond the deadline. An arbitrator can award only one of two figures -- the player’s request or the team’s offer.

And so it looks like Fried will experience another arbitration hearing. (He won his case last year, when he requested $6.85 million and the Braves offered $6.6 million.) But there’s always a chance the Braves could attempt to sign their heralded lefty to a multiyear deal at some point over the next few weeks and months.

Fried finished second in last year’s National League Cy Young Award balloting. His 2.68 ERA since the start of 2020 ranks fourth among all qualified MLB pitchers.