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The New York Yankees have signed former Atlanta Braves left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It is the largest guarantee for a left-handed pitcher in baseball history.
The deal caused fans to unearth one of Fried’s social media posts from 10 years ago celebrating Yankees legend Derek Jeter:
Max Fried @MaxFried32
When it’s meant to be. It’s meant to be #RE2PECT
The Bronx Bombers are going shopping after Juan Soto rejected the team’s 16-year, $760 million deal, opting instead to sign with the New York Mets (15 years, $765 million) on Saturday. They didn’t waste much time, landing one of the biggest name free agent pitchers available.
The 30-year-old Fried, a two-time All-Star, pitched in Atlanta for eight seasons. He’s gone 73-36 lifetime with a 3.07 ERA (1.16 WHIP) and 8.8 K/9 rate.
In New York, Fried could potentially slot in as the Yankees’ No. 2 starter behind ace Gerrit Cole. The defending AL champions certainly could have used another high-quality arm to strengthen the rotation, and that’s what they got in Fried, who elicited many positive remarks from fans and analysts alike following the move.
Mike Vaccaro @MikeVacc
Forget the length of the deal. In the here and now Max Fried projects as the quintessential lefty who has traditionally thrived at Yankee Stadium. Smart pickup by the #Yankees.
Darin Zoccali @atTheTrack7
Before Soto signed with the Mets, @Bobo3324 and I had a conversation where we said, for $750 Million-plus let him go and go sign three players for what Soto cost.
Fried is the first. Pitching trade capital for an Arenado trade. Bregman. Walker. Burnes. Yankees in good spot.
Donald Stricklin @Dstricklin8
Yeah…that’ll play. Congrats to Max Fried on receiving the largest guaranteed contract in baseball history for a left-handed pitcher (per @JeffPassan).
Yankees rotation just got that much better https://t.co/dFlQd8HgPD pic.twitter.com/Fqp04Fp19A
Thomas Nestico @TJStats
Max Fried (signed by NYY) is an elite lefty with an extremely deep arsenal which he commands very well
Fried holds an excellent 3.07 ERA and 3.29 FIP in his career and gives the Yankees a massive boost to their rotation https://t.co/L3DToRp2Hp pic.twitter.com/v00c17kn8H
YankeesMuse @YankeesMuse
Max Fried since 2020:
— 2.81 ERA
— 659.0 IP
— 624 Ks
— 1.09 WHIP
— 3.10 FIP2x Top-5 CYA finishes. 3x Gold Glove. 2x All-Star. pic.twitter.com/sX1CF1qTzT
Cameron Maybin @CameronMaybin
This Max Fried deal also gives the Yankees some flexibility to go get a bat. Other then the years, this is a nice start. Around 27 million AAV leaves the Yankees in a nice spot, you can still make some trades or possibly pay for a bat or bullpen help. I think the rotation is set…
MLB Network @MLBNetwork
“It’s a GREAT pickup for the Yankees.”
An instant reaction to the breaking news of Max Fried’s reported 8-year deal on #MLBTonight presented by @CohnReznick 📺 pic.twitter.com/E1Ks3KuR7d
Marc Luino @GiraffeNeckMarc
Under $30m a year for Max Fried feels like a really good move for the Yankees https://t.co/9dhnd5HWgV
New York certainly isn’t done at this point. On Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com listed a few notable names:
“Could the Yankees sign Alex Bregman, Max Fried and/or Christian Walker? What about a trade for Kyle Tucker, Cody Bellinger or Nolan Arenado? All options are now on the table for the Yankees in this new post-Soto world.”
The Yankees need help at first and third base and need to fill Soto’s spot in the outfield, so their attention should turn more toward bats now after getting the Fried deal done.
