Plan B seems to be in full motion, as the New York Yankees made their first big splash of the offseason, signing former Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. The deal makes Fried the highest-paid left-handed pitcher in Major League history and the fourth-highest-paid pitcher in MLB history.
Two days after Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets, the Yankees made their first signing in what will likely be a very busy offseason for the club. Last season, Fried was an All-Star, starting in 29 games for the Braves, finishing the season with an 11-10 record and a 3.25 ERA. Fried will slot into the second spot in the Yankees rotation. Setting up a deadly 1-2 punch with Gerrit Cole at the top.
Fried will likely be followed by reigning rookie of the year Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon, and Clarke Schmidt. The Fried signing brings uncertainty to the futures of Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes, and both names could begin to appear in trade talks moving forward.
Fried, who grew up in California, has been a staple of the Braves rotation since 2018. In his career, Fried has a career ERA of 3.07 and a WHIP of 1.164. Both very productive numbers. In his career, Fried was a two time all star, and was part of a Braves team that won the World Series in 2021.
