The New York Yankees bolstered its rotation with the addition of Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves.
The Yankees signed Fried to an eight-year $218 million contract. Fried was the top left-handed pitcher available and New York jumped at the chance to add him to the rotation after Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets.
Fried has been a dominant pitcher in the NL, but Bleacher Reports’ Zachary D. Rymer named the starter one of his nightmare contracts by 2027.
“It is nonetheless worth noting that the ZiPS projection system values Fried’s next eight seasons at just $120 million,” Rymer wrote. “That’s roughly half what he’ll get from the Yankees, and it’s not even surprising. For one thing, Fried comes with some injury risk. He had Tommy John surgery as a prospect, and amid the minor injuries he’s had as a major leaguer are two more alarming ones: a forearm strain that cost him three months in 2023 and another forearm issue last year.
“For another, Fried sustained losses in his whiff rate and barrel rate from 2023 to 2024,” Rymer added. “Those even impacted his curveball, which wasn’t as effective as it had been in prior years. All will be forgiven if Fried is part of a World Series winner, but that is hardly a given. And if it doesn’t happen soon, it may not happen at all.”
The analyst thinks the back half of Fried’s contract could be bad. With that, Rymer says for the contract to be worth it, the Yankees will need to win the World Series in the next two years.
Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts with the Braves in 2024.
Fried Admits He Was Surprised to Sign With Yankees
After New York lost Soto to the Mets, many expected the Yankees to try and add the top bats available.
However, the Yankees’ first move was to sign Fried as the left-hander said he was surprised he ended up in the Bronx.
“I was fairly surprised at the beginning, but when the Yankees say that they’re interested in you perk up and you listen,” Fried said. “You just know the standard that the Yankees hold and putting on the pinstripes there’s a certain responsibility and expectation that comes with that, and I’m extremely excited to take that on… There’s three words that were put on — up on the wall and it’s prepare, compete and win. To me as a competitor and just to me as a core, as a player, it really resonated with me.”
Fried is a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover.
New York GM Says Fried Was Their Top Target
Entering the offseason, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman says Fried was their top free agent target.
Cashman says Fried was the best arm available and someone they wanted to add to their rotation.
“When we started this winter program, we saw the free-agent opportunities out there. Max Fried was at the very top of the list for us,” Cashman said. “He was someone that we’ve watched from afar. He obviously tore us up on a few occasions pitching for the Braves. Kind of had a lot of dreams along the way of, ‘It would be nice to have that lefty here in pinstripes,’ if that opportunity ever came up.”
Fried is 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA in his MLB career.
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Yankees’ $218 Million Free Agent Signing Named ‘Nightmare’ Contract