The Yankees are adding an ace to pair with Gerrit Cole, with free agent left-hander Max Fried agreeing to a deal with New York.
Sources tell SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino that Fried and the Yankees are in agreement on an eight-year, $218 million deal pending a physical. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the deal.
It’s the largest deal for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history.
Fried, 30, was one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the market, along with Blake Snell (who signed with the Dodgers) and Corbin Burnes.
Fried will slot in behind Cole in the Yankees’ rotation, which also includes Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt, with Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman now likely viewed as depth options.
During his first eight seasons in the majors — all with the Braves — Fried established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball.
In 884.1 innings, Fried has posted a 3.07 ERA (3.29 FIP) and 1.16 WHIP while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings.
He features primarily a four-seam fastball, curve ball, sinker, and changeup, but will also mix in a sweeper, slider, and cuter at times.
A two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, Fried is coming off a season where he had a 3.25 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 174.1 innings over 29 starts for Atlanta.
He has thrown 165 or more innings in three of the last four seasons, but had an injury-shortened campaign in 2023, when he was limited to just 77.2 innings due to a forearm strain.
Fried’s best season came in 2022, when he had a 2.48 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 185.1 innings and finished second in National League Cy Young award voting.