The New York Yankees have landed one of many prime beginning pitchers in baseball. Left-hander Max Fried and the ballclub have agreed to a eight-year contract price $218 million, CBS Sports HQ has confirmed. The deal features a full no-trade clause and doesn’t have opt-outs or deferrals, based on the New York Post. The workforce has not but introduced the signing.
The Yankees missed out on free-agent proper fielder Juan Soto two days in the past when he accepted a 15-year, $765 million deal from the Mets. As a part of the pivot right here to Plan B, Fried leads to the Bronx. The deal makes him the best-paid left-handed pitcher in MLB historical past.
Fried is the third core member of the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series championship workforce to go away as a free agent, becoming a member of Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson. Fried began and gained the Game 6 title clincher towards the Houston Astros, putting out six in six shutout innings within the decisive Game 6 at Minute Maid Park.
Our R.J. Anderson ranked Fried the fifth-best free agent out there this offseason, and the third finest pitcher behind Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell. Here’s his write-up:
We wished to print an entire listing of left-handed beginning pitchers with a greater ERA+ than Fried for the reason that starting of the 2020 season, however we bumped into an issue after we went to compile the names. You see, no sinister hurler who had an honest quantity of innings (min. 200 mixed) truly positioned forward of him in that metric. Oh properly. Blame Fried’s sustained excellence on his means to handle contact. He ranked within the ninety fifth percentile in common exit velocity final season, and he did it whereas producing practically 60% floor balls for a second consecutive yr. The greatest knock on Fried is his innings depend, as he is cleared the 180-threshold simply as soon as in his profession. Given the league’s path over the previous decade, we’re not inclined to assume that’ll damage him.
Fried, 31 in January, pitched to a 3.25 ERA in 29 begins and 174 ⅓ innings in 2024, and it was his worst season since 2019, his first full yr as a big-leaguer. From 2020-23, Fried had a 2.66 ERA in near 500 innings with the wonderful underlying numbers to match. Simply put, he has been one of many sport’s finest pitchers during the last half-decade.
The Braves initially acquired Fried as a prospect within the Justin Upton commerce with the San Diego Padres in December 2014. Because he declined the qualifying provide, Atlanta will obtain a compensation draft decide after the fourth spherical for shedding Fried.
There stays loads of offseason, however with Fried on board, the Yankees’ rotation proper now appears one thing like:
Righty Marcus Stroman and lefty Nestor Cortes are additionally nonetheless on the roster and will present depth right here or function commerce bait.
The Yankees gained the AL East and gained the AL pennant final season regardless of Cole beginning the yr on the injured listing. They bought 32 begins from Rodón, 30 from Cortes, 29 from Stroman, 29 from Gil, 17 from Cole and 16 from Schmidt. If they will get full seasons from Cole, Fried and Schmidt, that rotation appears loads higher and it was already a great one in 2024.
