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Max Fried has been described as the “ideal acquisition” for the Toronto Blue Jays during this offseason.
First published on Fastball on SI by Brady Farkas on November 22, 2024.
As per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, southpaw Max Fried is deemed the ideal acquisition for the Toronto Blue Jays in the current offseason

Apart from their interest in acquiring Soto, the Blue Jays are seeking a top-tier pitcher to complement Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, and Bowden Francis, potentially forming one of the most formidable pitching rotations in baseball.

The Blue Jays are constantly linked to elite pitchers in the free agent market, and news has just surfaced about their keenness for Fried, Corbin Burnes, and Blake Snell. Nevertheless, the curiosity is rather unexpected. Although every team requires high-quality pitchers, the Jays are already equipped with four of them, in addition to Yariel Rodriguez, whom they acquired last winter.

Apart from him, Alek Manoah and Ricky Tiedemann are also part of the team, but they will be out for a long time in 2025 because of injuries. In case the team decides not to offer Jordan Romano a contract by the deadline on Friday, Rodriguez might transform into a key reliever, creating an opportunity for a new pitcher in the starting lineup.

Fried, who is currently 30 years old, will take the mound at 31 years old in the upcoming season. He just finished a year where he took the mound 29 times for Atlanta, achieving a record of 11 wins and 10 losses with an ERA of 3.25. With eight years of experience under his belt, he played a crucial role in leading the Braves to victory in the 2021 World Series. He has been selected as an All-Star twice and has received the Gold Glove award three times.

According to Spotrac, his market worth is calculated at $136 million over a span of six years.

The Blue Jays are probably holding off to see Soto’s decision before making a move, but if Soto opts for another team, they seem prepared to act swiftly.