Days after the news broke that the Yankees inked Max Fried to an eight-year $218 million deal, the team officially announced his signing, making his historic contract official. Fried, who is a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, set a new mark for left-handed starters as he beat David Price’s record-setting contract with the Boston Red Sox by just $1 million. The Yankees needed to address their rotation and wanted to bolster their run prevention, and the addition of Fried gives them a frontline starter who they can view as either a #1 or #2 in any rotation.
The Yankees have their rotation set barring any surprising trades in the coming weeks, as Max Fried hopes to be the piece that can take this team over the hump.
Max Fried Officially Joins Yankees on 8-year $218 Million Contract
Max Fried has been one of the best pitchers in the game over the last three seasons, sporting the best qualified ERA as a starting pitcher over that stretch (2.80). His elite groundball rates paired with solid strikeout rates have made him one of the premier starters in the sport, as he has a diverse pitch mix that can get righties or lefties out. The Yankees are hoping his excellent production translates in the Bronx, where he’ll have a chance to pitch for a contender for years to come.
Last season he posted a 3.25 ERA across 29 starts with the Atlanta Braves, getting off to a horrid start before putting it together and shoving down the stretch. He even incorporated a brand-new sweeper into his repertoire in September, where he pitched to a 2.14 ERA with four of his final five starts being quality starts. Max Fried joins a rotation with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt as they look to be one of the top groups in the sport.
To make room in their rotation for Fried, the Yankees dealt away Nestor Cortes in a deal that brought them star closer Devin Williams, who should further help their run-prevention cause.
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The Yankees gave Max Fried the richest contract ever handed out to a left-handed starter in order to secure his services, giving him an eight-year deal in the hopes of spreading out the AAV over the course of the next decade. They’ve also made some adjustments to backload his deal, as he’ll make $12 million in each of his first two seasons, an indication that perhaps Hal Steinbrenner is looking to load up the roster with some short-term high AAV deals that will end before Fried’s big money years kick in.
As for the Luxury Tax hit, nothing changes as it will remain a $27 million charge towards the Luxury Tax for all eight years of Fried’s contract. The Yankees are shopping for position players as they hope to improve their lineup and defense following the departure of star outfielder Juan Soto who walked across town to the New York Mets. They’ll hold an introductory press conference for Devin Williams over Zoom today as they hope to continue making big additions throughout the winter.