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After a stellar eight-year run with the Atlanta Braves, Max Fried has cashed in by securing a lucrative contract with the New York Yankees in free agency.
Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, Fried has agreed to an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees. The deal includes a full no-trade clause and also has no opt outs or deferrals, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, New York’s offer to Fried was “significantly” better than that of their American League East rival Boston Red Sox, which are also in the market for pitching this winter.
This news comes two days after the Yankees lost Juan Soto, who reportedly signed a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets.
Fried was originally selected by the San Diego Padres with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2012 MLB draft. He spent two years in the organization before being traded to the Braves as part of the Justin Upton deal in December 2014.
At the time of the trade, Fried was recovering from Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all of 2015. He returned to action in the minors in 2016 before making his MLB debut late in the 2017 season.
It wasn’t until 2019 that Fried carved out a permanent role in Atlanta’s rotation. He had a breakout season during the 2020 season that was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The left-hander went 7-0 with a 2.25 ERA and finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
Fried’s worst season by ERA was 2024 when he had a 3.25 mark in 29 starts. He has been named an All-Star in two of the past three years, finishing second in NL Cy Young voting in 2022.
The 30-year-old started and won the clinching Game 6 for the Braves in the 2021 World Series against the Houston Astros. He threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits with six strikeouts in a 7-0 victory.
In the wake of Atlanta’s postseason loss to the San Diego Padres last season, Fried expressed hope that the two sides would be able to work out a long-term deal to keep him.
“[Wearing the Braves uniform] means everything,” Fried said. “It’s the organization that traded for me and gave me the opportunity to come to the big leagues and be an established big league player. I obviously don’t know what’s going to happen, but I have absolutely loved every minute of it, and hope to have many more.”
Losing Fried puts the Braves in a tricky spot going into next year. Spencer Strider could miss some time at the start of 2025 while recovering from elbow surgery, but his decision to go with the internal brace procedure rather than Tommy John could bring him back sooner.
Chris Sale had a fantastic rebound year in 2024 that earned him the NL Cy Young, but he’s going to be 36 at the start of next season and was unable to pitch in the playoffs due to a back injury.
While the Braves are going to have a lot to figure out in their rotation, Fried will join the Yankees’ pitching staff in 2025 and beyond. He’s been one of the most reliable starters in baseball since 2019.
Fried’s 18.4 FanGraphs’ wins above replacement over the past six seasons ranks fifth among all NL starters, trailing only Zack Wheeler (29.3), Aaron Nola (23.2), Max Scherzer (19.2) and Logan Webb (18.8).
After keeping Gerrit Cole following a bit of uncertainty about his opt-out situation, the Yankees are adding another frontline starter to their rotation.
Carlos Rodón had a solid 2024 campaign, but he’s been underwhelming overall since signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees in free agency. Nestor Cortes Jr. is a fine mid-rotation starter who hasn’t pitched at the level he did to start the 2022 season when he earned an All-Star selection.
Marcus Stroman, who signed with the Yankees last offseason, couldn’t make their playoff roster after a rough regular season. Luis Gil has tremendous upside with a devastating changeup if he can ever harness his control after walking 77 batters in 151.2 innings.
Fried will slot in behind Cole to give the Bronx Bombers a formidable duo at the top of their pitching staff, while also moving other starters in the rotation down a slot as they try to get back to the World Series after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games.