The New York Yankees made a huge splash signing by adding two-time All-Star Max Fried to their starting rotation. He and 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole are expected to form one of baseball’s best one-two punches atop the rotation.
The Yankees responded to losing Juan Soto by signing Max Fried
So far, the Yankees have been aggressive in the market since losing Juan Soto in free agency, as they also added Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams through two separate trades. New York still needs to add more pieces if they wish to make another deep playoff run, but this is a good start to utilizing the available funds.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said at Fried’s introductory press conference that the left-hander was at the top of their wishlist the moment free agency began.
“When we started this winter program, we saw the free agent opportunities out there, and Max Fried was at the very top of the list for us,” Cashman said.
Fried is one of the top pitchers in baseball
Fried has been one of the top pitchers in the sport for quite some time. A World Series champion with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, Fried has the lowest ERA among starting pitchers with at least 100 starts since 2020 at 2.81.
Last season, he posted a 3.25 ERA and 1.16 WHIP across 174.1 innings pitched with the Braves. He is a true top-of-the-rotation arm that will certainly help the Yankees limit damage.
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The Yankees still need to add some offense, and they are heavily in the mix for some of the top free agents. They have expressed interest in free agents Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso as well as trade candidate Nolan Arenado.
How the Yankees map out their roster in the remainder of the offseason is to be seen, but adding Fried to their rotation is a massive addition for a team looking to stay competitive after losing Soto.
