Braves’ Max Fried reveals what he learned from Chris Sale

The Atlanta Braves needed Chris Sale to turn back the clock this season. They invested in him in the offseason, trading infielder Vaughn Grissom for Sale and signing him to a contract extension. Then they lost ace Spencer Strider for the year to Tommy John surgery. Now young left-hander Max Fried has expressed what he learned from the future Hall-of-Famer and Cy Young favorite.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about him, even as a person,” Fried told the Atlanta Journal-Dispatch. “But just seeing every day what kind of person he is, what kind of competitor he is – I’ve learned a lot this year. Just the mentality, the focus, what he brings to a start. This is his eighth All-Star Game. He’s started three of them. He’s won countless Cy Young titles. He probably should have won a few. When you’re around someone like him every day, you definitely learn a lot and a lot of things rub off on you.”

If Chris Sale isn’t an All-Star in 2024, the investment would have been worth it based on that quote alone. Fried is an unrestricted free agent this season, while Sale is under contract in Atlanta through at least 2025. If that teacher-student relationship continues throughout the season, it will be easier for the Braves to retain Fried this winter. Combine that with Sale’s Cy Young-level pitching, and the Braves will continue to be a force in the National League.

Chris Sale of the Braves fights for the first Cy Young Award

After starting just 31 games in four years, Chris Sale is back in the conversation for the Cy Young Award. His National League All-Star nomination was his first since 2018, the year he won his only World Series with the Red Sox. That year ended seven consecutive years of top-six finishes in the Cy Young race. None of those seasons, however, resulted in Sale winning the trophy. Now, six years later, Sale is putting together what could go down as his best season yet. He leads the majors with 13 wins and is tied with the NL leader with a 2.70 ERA.

Sale should win the 2024 NL Cy Young Award based on his numbers alone. His biggest challengers are right-hander Zach Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies and rookie Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sale has put up numbers to challenge either of them based on his performance alone, but also has a comeback story that could appeal to voters. He’s also a Hall of Fame-level player that most fans would think already has a Cy Young or two at this point in his career, as Max Fried mentioned in his quote.

Regardless of his Cy Young finish, the Braves have gotten exactly what they needed from Chris Sale this season. The last-minute loss of Spencer Strider left many questioning whether the Braves’ pitching staff had the depth to compete in the National League. Sale has bolstered the rotation and kept the Braves within striking distance of the NL East despite the Phillies’ great start to the season.