The Atlanta Braves, armed with the biggest lead in any of baseball’s six divisions, kicked the tires but came up empty in their search for another starting pitcher before Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Maybe they didn’t have to.

That’s because Max Fried, the ace lefthander sidelined by forearm issues since May 5, will return to the rotation in Chicago this weekend, according to manager Brian Snitker.

Fried, a 2022 All-Star who also finished second in the voting for last year’s National League Cy Young Award, made four rehab starts for Triple-A Gwinnett and threw 79 pitches Saturday. He then threw in the familiar Truist Park bullpen Monday, putting him on target for a weekend start that could come as soon as Friday.

The 6'4" southpaw is one of the game’s top starters when healthy. He has posted back-to-back 14-7 seasons and had a career-best 17-6 mark in 2019.

“I have a lot of faith in him and what he’s doing and how he goes about it,” Snitker told reporters Tuesday before Spencer Strider defeated the Angels in Atlanta.

“I think we’ve done everything right in getting him back and not rushing him back.”

Strider has become the de facto ace since Fried went down. The hard-throwing right-hander broke his own strikeout record against the Angels when he became the fastest pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts in a season. When he first broke that record last year, he replaced Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in the record book.

When Fried works will be determined by two factors, according to Snitker. One is how he feels Thursday, an off-day for the Braves, but the other is whether he is fully healthy after fighting a respiratory illness that caused a three-day delay in his last rehab start. Though anxious to return to the rotation, he still felt congested Tuesday.

One thing certain to make Fried feel better in a heartbeat would be a contract extension. The 29-year-old pitcher, earning $13,500,000 this season, could become a free agent after the 2024 season. He knows his team has signed its young position players, including MVP favorite Ronald Acuna Jr. and sluggers Matt Olson and Austin Riley, to long-term contracts.

The Braves entered play Wednesday with a 68-37 record, .648 winning percentage, 11-game lead over second-place Philadelphia, and a run differential of 152. All of those figures lead the major leagues as the team surges toward its sixth straight division crown, the longest active streak among the 30 teams.

Fried’s return should only strengthen that juggernaut. He had a 2-1 record and 2.08 earned run average when he went down in May.

The former first-round draft pick has a career ERA of 3.05. He has won three Gold Gloves for fielding excellence and even a Silver Slugger, dating back to the days when National League pitchers could bat. He also owns a World Series ring – thanks in part to his six scoreless innings in the sixth and final game of the 2021 Fall Classic against the Houston Astros.

Before the trade deadline passed, Atlanta reportedly inquired about acquiring Jack Flaherty, a Fried teammate at Santa Monica High School, before the right-hander was dealt to Baltimore. The Braves even asked about Justin Verlander after it became apparent the Mets would trade him.

But general manager Alex Anthopoulos passed, adding only right-handed relief pitcher Pierce Johnson, lefty reliever Brad Hand, and utility infielder Nicky Lopez without sacrificing Vaughn Grissom, AJ Smith-Shawver, or any other prized prospects.

Atlanta had little interest in a two-month rental that would have inflated the payroll and added age to one of the youngest teams in the league. With the exception of left-fielder Eddie Rosario, every Atlanta regular is under age 30.

In addition to Fried, the starting rotation should get another boost in September when 27-year-old right-hander Kyle Wright returns from shoulder issues that sidelined him most of this season. After leading the majors with 21 wins last season, he made five starts early this year before landing on the Injured List.

Without Fried and Wright, Snitker has had to mix and match, leaning heavily on Strider and Bryce Elder, both 2023 All-Stars at the age of 24, and veteran Charlie Morton, at 39 the oldest player on the Atlanta active roster.

The team has tried 15 different starters but still compiled a 4.01 earned run average that ranks second in the NL and eighth in the major leagues. With the team on track to threaten the single-season home run mark of 307 (by the 2019 Minnesota Twins), there’s plenty of power to support that performance.