After losing Juan Soto to the Mets, the New York Yankees almost immediately signed former Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried. With his eight-year, $210 million contract, New York made him the richest left-handed starter in league history. With all the other moves this offseason, it is almost as if the 31-year-old has become a forgotten free-agent signing. It’s hard to have that happen to a player who signs with the Yankees, and it could work to Fried’s advantage. People underestimate just how important signing Max Fried was for the Yankees.

The Yankees Rotation Wasn’t Bad In 2024

Despite being without Gerrit Cole being injured and having an inconsistent year, the Yankees rotation wasn’t bad in 2024. Luis Gil won AL Rookie of the Year honors, Clarke Schmidt showed more growth, and Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes had bounce-back seasons. However, Marcus Stroman struggled in the second half and rookie Will Warren was shaky at best in five-starts. While the team did trade Cortes, New York was still returning a solid starting pitching group. It wouldn’t have been a bad idea to count on a healthy year from Cole, Gil encoring his terrific rookie year, Rodon being better in 2025, Schmidt continuing to grow, and Stroman having a bounce-back season.

Pivoting To Max Fried After Losing Juan Soto

While the team did everything possible to convince Juan Soto to return to the Bronx, the 26-year-old decided to sign with the cross-town Mets anyway. It was a bitter pill for the Yankees to swallow especially since Soto decided to play for New York’s perennial loser. However, General Manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees front office didn’t wallow and immediately went to work.

While no team can have enough pitching, getting a front-line starter wasn’t a top need for the team. However, they went and signed one anyway. Almost immediately after Juan Soto departed, the team signed former Braves ace Max Fried. New York signed him to an eight-year, $210 million contract, the largest deal ever signed by a left-handed pitcher. Not only did the Yankees get another accomplished front-line starter, but they also got someone who can pair more reliably with Gerrit Cole and ease his responsibility.

Max Fried Brings A Stellar Resume To The Bronx

Max Fried brings a stellar resume to the Bronx. In eight seasons in Atlanta, Fried went 73-36 with an ERA of 3.07, 863 strikeouts, and a 1.164 WHIP. The most home runs that Fried has surrendered in a season is 21 which happened in 2019. Opposing hitters are also rarely given free passes as Max Fried only has a career walk rate of 6.8%. The 30-year-old has earned three Gold Glove awards and been an all-star twice including last season. The 31-year-old played a huge part in the Atlanta Braves shocking World Series victory in 2021. After Spencer Strider was lost for the year early in 2024, it was Fried who stepped up and took over as the leader of the rotation. His success was a big reason why the Braves made it to the postseason despite having a plethora of injuries.

Signing Fried Allows The Yankees To Move Carlos Rodon Down

Getting Max Fried isn’t just a flashy signing to keep the team as the top search on Google. The Yankees had more of a need for a front-line starter than people realize. Through the first two years of his own big contract, Carlos Rodon hasn’t been the player the Yankees thought could pitch behind Cole. This has forced the team to rely on their ace to consistently go deep into games every start. Signing Fried allows the Yankees to slot him behind Gerrit Cole and move Rodon to the middle of the rotation.

The Move Has Almost Become Overlooked

The big signings of Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Blake Snell and the Mets’ struggle to bring back Pete Alonso have almost made the Fried acquisition an afterthought. This is despite Max Fried becoming the highest-paid left-handed starting pitcher in the history of the sport. When someone signs with the New York Yankees, this seldom happens. It could perhaps work to the Yankees and Fried’s advantage. Max Fried could also potentially settle in a lot faster than anybody typically would when joining the Yankees.

The Opportunity To Have An Easy Transition

While a front-line starting pitcher was a big priority on the offseason to-do list, the Yankees signing Max Fried was more important than people realize. Not only does it give New York another proven front-line starter, but it also allows them to move Carlos Rodon to the middle of the rotation. The 31-year-old start should fare better pitching behind Gerrit Cole than Rodon. With all the other big signings happening this offseason, the Yankees signing of Max Fried has almost been forgotten. The Yankees and Max Fried would be wise to take advantage of the diminished pressure and settle in quickly.

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Eric Katz

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