The New York Yankees have made their first big splash of the winter!
After missing out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes not even 48 hours ago, the Yankees have pivoted to bolster their rotation by signing the top left-handed starter on the market.
The Yankees might have their work cut out for them when it comes to replacing Juan Soto’s production in the lineup, but by making this move, they are building one of the best rotations in all of baseball.
Gerrit Cole is still the Yankees ace, and now he will have a formidable No. 2 starter behind him in Fried. The soon-to-be 31-year-old is coming off a great season that saw him pitch to a 3.25 ERA across 29 starts and 174 1/3 innings pitched.
Dating back to the 2021 season, few pitchers in MLB have been more effective than Fried.
The southpaw has made 101 starts and has pitched to a 2.87 ERA, which is the fourth-best mark among qualified starters over that span. The three pitchers ahead of Fried have all thrown significantly fewer innings, with Reynaldo Lopez, Brandon Woodruff, and Shohei Ohtani all coming in at less than 430 innings pitched, while Fried has over 600.
How Much Did Max Fried Sign For?
In our free agent predictions article, I had Fried pegged for a seven-year, $190 million deal, which would have paid him just north of $27 million per season. The AAV on that contract ended up being fairly spot on, but Fried was able to get an eighth year.
With an eight-year, $218 million contract, the AAV for Fried’s deal comes out to $27.25 million.
Career Highlights
Max Fried was drafted by the Padres with the seventh overall pick back in 2012 and was later traded to the Braves in the deal that sent Justin Upton to San Diego.
Fried made his MLB debut in 2017, but would not become a full member of the Braves rotation until 2019, when he pitched to a 3.02 ERA over 165 2/3 innings pitched.
In 2020, Freid finished fifth in the Cy Young voting after pitching to a 2.25 ERA in 11 starts. He also won his first of three Gold Gloves, taking home the award in the National League three years in a row from 2020-2022.
Fried’s best season came in 2022 when he pitched to a 2.48 ERA across 185 1/3 IP. He was an All-Star for the first time that year and finished second to Sandy Alcantara in the NL Cy Young voting.
This past season marked yet another All-Star campaign for Fried, who will look to have many more as he dons pinstripes for the remainder of his career.
Fit with the Yankees
The Yankees are adding to a strength here, as they already had Cole, and Carlos Rodon to headline their rotation prior to this signing. They also feature AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt is coming off a strong season as well.
One real question after this signing is what happens to Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes. Both starters have been successful throughout their career and could theoretically have some value in the trade market if New York wanted to flip them for bats.
Granted, Cortes would be much easier to move, as Stroman is still owed $18.33 million next season, with a vesting player option for the same amount in 2026.
The Yankees had plenty of depth in their rotation, but this move gives them another frontline starter to pair with Cole and really take the overall ceiling of this group to the next level.