After failing to resign Juan Soto to a long-term extension, the New York Yankees have wasted no time in making a blockbuster move.
The Deal
The New York Yankees have made their first major move of the offseason. On Tuesday, they came to an agreement with LHP Max Fried on an eight-year deal worth $218 million. Depending on the results of his physical, this contract would be the largest ever issued to a left-handed pitcher. Fried’s deal will also include a full n0-trade clause and no deferred money. This was a deal that no one expected the Yankees to pivot to quickly after losing out on OF Juan Soto. But the deal went down fast.
In 2024, Fried pitched in 29 games for the Atlanta Braves. In those starts, he pitched to an 11-10 record along with a 3.25 ERA, allowing just 146 hits and 57 walks over 174 1/3 innings with 166 strikeouts. He tied for the MLB lead with two complete games and one shutout. But the star has dealt with injury setbacks that had limited his starts in past years. The good news is that he was mostly healthy in 2024.
Fried will now most likely be labeled as the number two starter in the rotation behind ace SP Gerrit Cole. He will also be the second lefty the Yankees will have in the rotation. The Yankees signed LHP Carlos Rodon two years ago, making him the first left-hander they added to the roster. The question now is what happens to RHP Luis Gil, RHP Marcus Stroman, and RHP Clarke Schmidt with the rotation stacked up.
How The Deal Could Work Out on Both Sides
There are different reasons to think why this deal could work pretty well on both sides. First and foremost, Fried excels as a ground-ball specialist. It is very clear that the Yankees love pitchers that are ground-ball specialists. Last season, Fried had a very good ground ball rate of 59.2, which is in the 96th percentile, according to Baseball Savant. In addition, he does like to keep the ball in the ballpark and does not surrender many homers to opposing teams.
Fried’s ability to pitch effectively against teams in the East division is another key reason why this deal could work out. He pitched for the Braves from 2017-2024. During that span, he finished with a record of 73-36 with an ERA of 3.07 along with 863 strikeouts. He had no difficulties of dealing with tough teams such as the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets. Playing here in the American League East shouldn’t present an issue. The only difference is that Fried will just be switching leagues in a different uniform.
Similar to Cole, he has been seen as one of the most consistent pitchers in the league. His ERA over the last five seasons are 3.25, 2.55, 2.48, 3.04, and 2.25. He does not rely on strikeouts, but he does get a lot of weak contact. It’s fair to say that you can compare him to an SP Andy Pettitte type of pitcher. Both are similar pitchers that know to keep the ball in the ballpark. The only concern for a guy like Fried is injury history. Over the last two seasons, he has missed time due to forearm strains.
What’s Next
New York still has other holes to fix the rest of the offseason, this time on the offensive side. Now that Soto is gone, the Yankees are going to start thinking creatively. With the huge amount of money they have available to them, they can go in any direction. The first thing they should do is figure out their first base situation. The Yankees have received the worst kind of productions in that position coming from 1B Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, and Ben Rice. Good news is that they have multiple options to go to. If there was one that made the most sense to fill that void, it’s 1B Christian Walker.
The Yankees do need another outfielder for sure. Replacing someone like Soto won’t come easy. On the free agent market, you got players like OFs Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernandez who would both fit perfectly well in pinstripes. But then you also have the trade market. If the team decides to stay under the luxury tax threshold, they can turn to the trade market instead. Some notable options include OFs Cody Bellinger, Luis Robert and Kyle Tucker.
Prioritizing the bullpen is another thing. The Yankees already lost some key pieces to free agency. RHP Tim Hill, RHP Clay Holmes (signed with the New York Mets), and RHP Tommy Kahnle. The question now is what they do to fix this solution. Here’s what they can do, they can re-sign Tim Hill again and put him as the medium-leverage man. They can sign LHP Tanner Scott to a multi-year deal and push back RHP Luke Weaver to the setup man role. Overall, I think this is a good plan B to pivot to. But just earlier today they traded for RHP Devin Williams, and he is definitely a late-inning reliever.
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