Max Fried Will Be Much Cheaper Than Corbin Burnes
The top starting pitcher in free agency this winter is Baltimore Orioles ace Corbin Burnes. There have been some huge contract predictions tossed around for the 2021 National League Cy Young Award winner, too.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer predicted in August the Scott Boras client would sign an eight-year, $288 million deal. Joel Reuter’s October 18 prediction for Bleacher Report was close to that, checking in at seven years and $255.5 million.
The Cubs could use a frontline starter like Burnes, and there’s some familiarity in the Windy City with the ace. He spent the first six years of his MLB career playing for the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. The hurler played for Craig Counsell that whole time, who is now the Cubs’ skipper.
But president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer might not want to drop that much money on a starting pitcher. That would lead the organization to pursue a cheaper yet equally effective alternative.
How Max Fried Could Fit Into the Cubs’ Rotation Mix
Based on his production and projected price tag, Fried would fit in nicely with what the Cubs could be trying to accomplish this winter. The southpaw is a two-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner, per Baseball-Reference. He’s also produced a 3.07 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 863 strikeouts across 884.1 career innings as a big leaguer. These numbers would look great atop the Cubs’ rotation with other incumbent starters.
FanGraphs’ Roster Resource has Imanaga, Taillon and Justin Steele penciled in as Chicago’s top three. Javier Assad and Ben Brown are also penciled in behind them as veteran Kyle Hendricks hits free agency.
Adding another top-tier starter would give Counsell an enviable front four when everyone is healthy and pitching every fifth day. It would also be a great weapon in October, especially after seeing how difficult it has been to get consistent performance out of starting rotations this postseason.
Signing an ace like Burnes would be great. However, the cost will likely be prohibitive for many clubs. Fried is considered a less expensive option while maintaining a solid track record. He’s also battle-tested in the postseason, which includes winning the 2021 World Series with Atlanta.
