Brian Cashman says Max Fried was ‘at the top’ of Yankees list entering winter

Brian Cashman says Max Fried was ‘at the top’ of Yankees list entering winter

Just days after losing Juan Soto to the New York Mets, the New York Yankees made a splash to acquire free agent starter Max Fried on an eight-year, $218 million deal. It was the largest free agency contract for a left-hander in MLB History (by $1 million)–and the fourth-largest ever.

The deal was not made official until Tuesday, with Fried’s introductory press conference occurring Wednesday afternoon. Despite being viewed as a “plan B” to Soto’s plan A, Yankees general Brian Cashman assured that signing Max Fried was one of their foremost priorities entering the offseason.

“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 told reporters Wednesday. “The only question in the end was, ‘Did he want us as well?’ There was a lot of competition in the end. And he had choices where he wanted to lay his head for the coming years ahead. We’re excited that he wanted this opportunity, he wanted New York, he wanted to come here–and we’re excited to have him join what is already we think a formidable 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."

Brian Cashman on the Yankees adding Max Fried: pic.twitter.com/123sSD1gUd

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) December 18, 2024

While an eight-year price tag is lengthy, Fried, who turns 31-years-old in January, has been one of the most consistent southpaws in MLB.

Last year, he sported a 3.25 ERA and 3.33 FIP with two complete games (one shutout) in 174.1 innings, striking out 166 batters to just 57 walks (29 starts. It marked his first season with above a 3.05 ERA since 2019, when he earned a 4.02 ERA across 33 appearances (30 starts), his first full season in the Braves’ rotation.

He does a good job preventing hard contact, grading in the 80th percentile or better in hard-hit rate allowed in each of his last five seasons, according to Baseball Savant; in four of those seasons, he was in the 89th percentile or better in barrel rate with a 51.0 percent ground-ball rate or better. That’s how you survive if you’re going to make roughly half your appearances inside Yankee Stadium.

Cody Bellinger Will Have A Huge Say On 2025 Yankees Season

The Yankees have done a good job emphasizing run prevention post-Soto, but they still need at least 1-2 impact bats (not named Cody Bellinger). We will see what lies ahead for the team in pinstripes.

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