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The New York Yankees pitching staff could use another arm, and with many options on the market, the expectation is for the front office to sign someone. Whether they want to add an expensive starter or go with a cheaper, back-of-the-rotation arm, the Yankees’ need for another starter is prevalent.
With money to spend, the Yankees could turn their attention to Max Fried, arguably the best starter on the market. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report linked them to the left-hander, urging them to sign him to a six-year, $150 million deal.
“If they had landed Soto, they might have been content to run it back with the same cast of characters, penciling in some combination of Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman and Nestor Cortes behind Cole and Rodón, but now making a splash on the pitching side seems like an obvious counter. Corbin Burnes and Max Fried are the two top starters on the market, and the Yankees have reportedly already met with both players.
“Adding Fried to the mix would give the Yankees another ace-caliber starter to plug into the No. 2 spot in the rotation, which makes the entire staff as a whole stronger by sliding everyone else down a spot,” Reuter wrote on December 9.
How Much is Fried Expected to Get?
After some early signings in free agency on the pitching market, Fried and the other top arms available should be in an excellent position to get paid.
So much so that Fried could even be looking at a deal much higher than $150 million. AAV is more important to consider with any player, but Bob Nightengale of USA Today believes Fried should top $200 million, a figure that wasn’t once expected.
“When Matthew Boyd receives a 2-year, $29 million contract without throwing more than 79 innings since 2019, when Luis Severino is getting $67 million over three years and Blake Snell is making an average annual salary of $36.4 million, Burnes and Fried should top $200 million,” Nightengale wrote on December 9.
After getting into a bidding war with the Boston Red Sox for Juan Soto, Nightengale added that there could be a second one. He wrote that the Yankees or Red Sox are expected to sign the two-time All-Star.
“Fried priced himself out of Atlanta, but is expected to sign with the Yankees or Red Sox. If Soto goes to the Mets, Fried could find himself in a nice bidding war between the Red Sox and Yankees,” Nightengale wrote.
Would Fried Be Enough for the Yankees?
The New York Yankees pitching staff could improve, but it’s tough to ignore the giant hole Soto left in the middle of their lineup.
Unfortunately, the harsh reality of losing Soto is that the Yankees will never replace him. Unless they signed one of the free agent hitters available and they had a season no one expects, it’s impossible to replace Soto.
Fried wouldn’t be enough for the Yankees to win a World Series on paper. However, if they signed him and did more, there’s a good chance New York could be back to the same position it was in during the 2024 campaign.
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Yankees Linked to Signing 2-Time All-Star for $150 Million