Well, it certainly didn't take the Yankees long to move on from losing Juan Soto.
According to reports, southpaw starter Max Fried is coming to the Bronx on a MASSIVE deal.
BREAKING: Left-hander Max Fried and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a eight-year, $218 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest guarantee in baseball history for a left-handed pitcher.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 10, 2024
Already armed with (pun intended) Gerrit Cole (nine-year contract worth $324 million), Carlos Ródon (six-year, $162 million contract), and Luis Gil (reigning AL Rookie of the Year), the Yankees are cementing their rotation as one of the best in baseball by adding Fried.
The Yankees' final offer to Soto was reportedly in the $47.5 million AAV range, so Fried's $27.25 million annual salary still leaves them with ample room to continue adding to the roster. They'll especially be looking towards position players, since they need to fill a Soto-sized hole in their outfield.
Fried is worth the contract, but Yankees still have more pressing needs
Considering the relative size of this deal, it's worth questioning if Fried was actually deserving of this kind of money, or if this was just a reactionary move from a desperate Yankees team.
Max Fried and the Yankees have agreed to an 8-year, $218 million deal, per source. Largest deal for a LHP in history and 4th largest deal for a pitcher ever.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 10, 2024
Fried has been the ace of the Atlanta Braves for the last half-decade. After posting a 3.07 ERA in 884 1/3 innings since debuting in 2017, someone was always going to pony up for his services.
The southpaw does come with a few flaws, including a notable injury history that cost him large chunks of the 2018 and 2023 seasons. His forearm issues from last year are still a concern, especially since he'll be 31 on Opening Day 2025, but his 174.1 inning sample in 2024 proves that Fried is still durable when healthy.
Over his career, Fried has earned a workhorse label, pitching 165+ innings in every season since 2019 (besides 2023 due to injury, and 2020 due to the pandemic-shortened schedule). He's also thrown six complete games and four shutouts in that time. Pair his longevity in games with a career 140 ERA+, 23.9% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate, and huge 53.7% groundball rate (including a career-high 58.2% figure this past season), and you have the profile of a pitcher that should both age gracefully and remain dominant when handed the ball.
So, in the sense that Fried is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the sport and will add a fourth elite arm to the team's rotation, he was absolutely worth the contract. In the sense that the Yankees don't have a single regular that isn't named Aaron Judge or Jazz Chisholm Jr. that posted an .800 OPS or better last year, this allocation of resources is questionable.
There are plenty of talented hitters still on the market — Pete Alonso, Teoscar Hernandez, Alex Bregman, and Anthony Santander chief among them — and there's plenty of offseason left before next season rolls around. It's still possible the Yankees can replace Soto 'in the aggregate', even if they have to go above budget to do so.
Acquiring the best players and 'figuring it out later' isn't always the most optimal strategy, but it has served the Yankees well for the last century and change. Fried was one of the best players available this offseason, and now he'll ply his trade in the Big Apple alongside Cole and Judge.
Is he Juan Soto? No, assuredly not. Does Max Fried make the Yankees a better team? Yes, assuredly so.
No matter what, that makes this move a big win for a team that desperately needed one.