Left-hander Max Fried became the latest All-Star to depart Atlanta this offseason, securing an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees that set a record for a left-handed pitcher. Sometimes, a succession of stars leaving one city to explore the baseball nation can leave a trail of bitterness in its wake. In Fried's case? It seems he still has everybody in his corner, no matter where they hang their hat these days.
Freddie Freeman, once the man who caught the final out of Fried's World Series Game 6 spectacle to clinch a Braves title, and now his potential October foe with the Los Angeles Dodgers this fall, had nothing but high praise for both the man and the pitcher the Yankees attached themselves to in December.