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The New York Yankees are doing their due diligence on the market this winter, searching everywhere to upgrade their roster. Whether the Yankees sign Juan Soto or not, there are expected to be a few new faces in the Bronx in 2025.
While signing Soto would likely impact the other moves the Yankees could make, there’s a scenario where they decide to spend more even if they land him. If they’re willing to give Soto $600-plus million, what’s another $100-plus million at that point?
They have rumored interest in left-hander Max Fried, a starter Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report predicted would sign a seven-year, $175 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
“When healthy, Max Fried has been one of the best pitchers in baseball the past several seasons for the Atlanta Braves, and after dealing with some arm issues in 2023 he tallied 29 starts and 174.1 innings pitched in his contract year.
“Aaron Nola signed a seven-year, $172 million extension with the Philadelphia Phillies at the same age last winter, and while Nola has been more consistent and durable throughout his career, Fried is the second-best arm on the market right now and is capable of ace-caliber production,” Reuter wrote on December 5. “The Blue Jays were ready to break the bank for Shohei Ohtani last winter, and they will be motivated to convince free-agent-to-be Vladimir Guerrero Jr. they are serious about contending.”
Yankees Met With Fried
The New York Yankees met with Fried and had a productive 90-minute Zoom call. Fried’s potential price of $175 million could be a challenge for the Yankees to pay, but there seems to be heavy interest in signing him.
According to Yankees announcer Michael Kay, people on Fried’s side “said that Max really liked them.”
“The Yankees had a 90 minute Zoom call with Max Fried yesterday, and it supposedly went very well . . . somebody who’s on the Fried side said that Max really really liked them and apparently they’re going to have another meeting as well,” Kay said on December 4.
Could Yankees Sign Fried and Soto?
Only the New York Yankees can answer whether they have the funds to sign Soto and Fried. If the Yankees are willing to do whatever it takes to win a World Series, doing so wouldn’t be out of the question.
That’s still big money they’d have to spend, and understandably, the Yankees might decide against it. Some have suggested that it’s possible, while Mike Puma of the New York Post only views him as a possible target if Soto departs.
“Soto, the prize of this year’s free-agent class, is expected to choose a team before the meetings conclude. An industry source indicated the decision might be finalized this weekend.
“With Soto almost certain to receive at least $600 million, it’s unlikely the Yankees would look to add a big-ticket pitcher if they were to retain the All-Star outfielder, but Fried could potentially be part of a Plan B if Soto were to sign with the Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays or Dodgers — the other serious contenders for his services,” Puma wrote on December 4.
If the Yankees had no plans to sign Fried, having a 90-minute call wouldn’t make sense, unless they aren’t confident in re-signing Soto, which doesn’t appear to be the case.
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