Max Fried's All-Star ex-teammate affirms what we'd all hoped about Yankees success

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.

FanSided's Robert Murray asked Freeman about what it's been like to watch his ex-teammate thrive in that other league on that other coast while in Atlanta for the All-Star Game. Freeman's assessment? Not shocked, and couldn't have happened to a better guy.

“So happy. We all know Max and the person he is. To see him get that contract that he rightfully deserves. He’s a big-game pitcher pitching in the biggest stage and [he's] succeeded, and for him to get that … and it’s really hard in your first year with the new contract, new team, to learn everybody, learn everyone’s names, your team and how everything works. … Especially in pinstripes in the Bronx where there’s a lot of pressure on you, for him to go out there and succeed and do what he’s doing, I’m very happy for him.”

Exactly what you want to hear.

Yankees star Max Fried is a "big-game pitcher pitching on the biggest stage" who continues to succeed, per Freddie Freeman

After a near-spotless first half that might've culminated with an All-Star Game start in his first return to Atlanta — where the Yankees will start after the break, for what it's worth — Fried could've earned the ball in the Midsummer Classic. He could've at least put himself in the conversation and lobbied his manager Aaron Boone on his own behalf.

Instead? He called Tarik Skubal and offered his congratulations to the Tigers ace, effectively handing the ball to someone else who he believed was more deserving.

Fried might not get to pitch in the first series of the second half, either, after battling a blister in his final start before the gap against the Cubs. Hopefully, he's at least able to force himself out of the dugout for the forthcoming video tribute. He deserves to soak in the adulation that Freeman knows is coming for him. After all, he seems to leave a trail of admiration in his wake.