The New York Yankees have come to terms with free agent left hander Max Fried on an 8 year, $218M contract pending a physical. The sum is the largest guaranteed deal for a left handed pitcher in MLB history.
Fried was one of the most coveted arms remaining on the market, having posted the best ERA in all of baseball over the past 5 years (2.81). The 6’4″ hurler posted an 11-10 record with the Braves in 2024, racking up 166 Ks across 174.1 IP.
New York acted quickly to secure a front of the rotation starter after losing out on the Juan Soto sweepstakes. Not wanting AL East rivals Toronto and Boston, who were both rumoured to be vying for Fried’s services, to land the former Brave, the Yankees front office backed up the Brinks trunk to get their guy.
While officially the largest contract for a LHP on record, Fried’s AAV of $27.25M falls below that of fellow lefty Blake Snell who inked a 5 year, $182M pact ($36.4M AAV) with the Dodgers earlier this offseason. Nevertheless, the 2x All-Star can take comfort in knowing that he’ll be taken care of into his age 39 season.
The Santa Monica, CA native is a 3x Gold Glove winner (2020-2022), and boasts championship pedigree, having won the 2021 World Series with Atlanta. He’ll join a Yankees rotation that will likely feature Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt.
His deal isn’t believed to feature any deferred money, and contains no opt-outs according to Bob Nightengale.
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