Fried has a legitimate shot of filling the final rotation spot for the Braves out of spring training, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
At this point, Julio Teheran, Mike Foltynewicz and Brandon McCarthy are assured starting roles. This leaves two spots in the rotation for Fried, Luiz Gohara, Sean Newcomb and Scott Kazmir (hip). Gohara is the early favorite to win the fourth spot, but Fried has a good reason to believe he'll land the fifth spot. He was accelerated to the majors last season and held his own in 26 big-league innings, producing a 3.81 ERA while striking out nearly a batter per inning as a starter. Arguments stating that the pitching prospect could use more seasoning in the minors are certainly valid given the fact that he only has two Triple-A starts under his belt, but a strong spring could silence those detractors and make Fried's time to shine come now.