Max Fried almost could not believe that the New York Yankees were reaching out to him during his free-agency process.
“Initially, when I heard that the Yankees had interest, I would say that I was fairly surprised at the beginning,” the southpaw said during his introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. “But when the Yankees say that they’re interested in you, you perk up, and you listen. There’s a standard. It’s an extremely storied franchise.”
That standard, Fried alluded to, ultimately coaxed him to sign an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Bronx Bombers—the largest contract ever given to a left-handed pitcher in MLB history.
“I was walking through the clubhouse and there are three words that were put up on the wall: Prepare, compete, and win,” Fried began. “I thought a lot about that. To me, as a competitor and to me to the core as a player, it really resonated with me. At the end of the day, before I take the ball, I’m going to prepare as best as I possibly can. When I get out there, I’m going to leave everything out there and compete to the best of my abilities. At the end of the day, the one thing that we’re out here to do is win.”
The 30-year-old helps round out a “Big 3” at the top of the Yankees’ rotation alongside Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon, but he is expected to be the arm to help put the franchise’s 15-year World Series drought firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Fried has been one of baseball’s most consistent pitchers over the past five years, going 54-25 with a 2.81 ERA, which is the lowest mark by any starting pitcher who had thrown at least 500 innings during that span. Yet the prospect of spending every day with Cole presents the opportunity for his numbers to get even better, even in the hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium.
“He’s one of the best pitchers of this generation,” Fried said of Cole. “He’s had a lot of success. He’s in Cy Young runnings year in and year out. He’s an established superstar in this game. To be able to be in a rotation and be able to pick his brain a little bit, there’s going to be a lot of benefits.”
Fried also brings a bevy of postseason experience that the organization expects to help continue the establishment of a championship culture. Not only has he pitched in the playoffs in seven straight years with the Atlanta Braves, but he toed the rubber during the NL East side’s championship clincher in Game 6 of the 2021 Fall Cassic against the Houston Astros.
“Winning is a big priority for me. At the end of the day, every single year, the Yankees come to spring training, and the No. 1 goal is to win the World Series,” Fried said. “It’s not to get to the playoffs. It’s not to do anything besides hold up the trophy at the end of the year. Knowing that I was going to make a potentially long commitment, I wanted to be able to be in a place that I knew I was going to be able to win year in and year out. I love playoff baseball and I love to be able to have meaningful baseball at the end of the year. The Yankees are an organization that is going to do that.”
