DALLAS — Max Fried’s expected departure was far less dramatic than the departure of any previous Braves star. The 2021 World Series hero will forever remain an Atlanta sports legend — but at no point this offseason was there any reason to believe he would remain with the only organization he has ever known.

This agreement comes just over two months after Fried’s last start for Atlanta in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Padres. He was emotional as he made his comments after the game.

“(Wearing the Braves uniform) means everything,” Fried said. “It is the organization that traded for me and gave me the opportunity to get to the big leagues and be an established big league player. I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen, but I absolutely loved every minute of it and hope there are many more to come.”

The free agent departures of Freddie Freeman (after the 2021 season) and Dansby Swanson (after the ’22 season) helped fuel the thought that Fried could be the next star to leave. The anticipation grew stronger when Fried was left without one of the extensions the Braves had given their younger stars in recent years.

Before the start of the 2023 season, I asked an agent to project what Fried could receive as a free agent. The immediate response was, “It doesn’t matter, he’s not re-signing with the Braves.”

Fried finished second in 2022 National League Cy Young Award voting, but left forearm stiffness limited him to 14 starts in 2023. He missed two more weeks last season because of another left forearm issue. Still, the Yankees were willing to take a big risk on the hurler, who turns 31 on Jan. 18.

Braves fans will always recognize Fried as one of the most valuable pieces the club gained through its significant rebuild from 2015 to 2017. He was acquired from the Padres in December 2014 and debuted for Atlanta on August 8, 2017. He posted a 3.07 ERA in eight seasons with the Braves and will always be remembered for the six scoreless innings he pitched after kicking his ankle while covering first base in the deciding Game 6 of the 2021 World Series.

While Fried’s departure brings back memories, this development doesn’t change the Braves’ offseason approach. He was never considered as a candidate to fill the team’s need for a starting pitcher.

Chris Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Wechselbach will anchor the rotation until Spencer Strider returns from elbow surgery in late April. Ian Anderson, Grant Holmes, Bryce Elder and AJ Smith-Shawver serve as rotation depth.

However, it might be prudent to add a more proven option rather than assuming Sale, López and Wechselbach all remain healthy and effective after each of them exceeded workload expectations last year.

Holmes and Anderson are both out of options. This will help both in their attempt to fill at least one of the two current rotation holes.

“We believe there is significant potential there if (Holmes) can earn a starting spot,” said Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations. “But that won’t stop us from trading or signing a regular player. Hopefully when Strider comes back, the top three guys we talked about will be ready to go and haven’t had any health issues.”

Sale pitched just 151 innings from 2020 to 2023 but remained healthy until his back began to bother him in the final weeks of last season. He was unavailable during the Wild Card Series against the Padres, but pitched a bullpen at the end of the same week and had no further problems.

“I’ve talked to him a few times,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He feels great.”

A healthy sellout will help the Braves maintain the rotation strength that Fried has established over the past few years and prepare for the big payday he saw on Tuesday.