We’ve reached the end of our 50 Most Notable Yankees’ Free Agent Signings, and today we’ll wrap up with the most recent within the paramters. Okay, maybe you could argue that the re-signing of Cody Bellinger earlier this winter is technically the most recent biggest one. That one was a touch too recent to show up on our list, and also bringing a non-All-Star back like that is a little different than the big splash the Yankees made when they signed Max Fried last winter.
It’s also one that has worked out swimmingly so far.
Max Fried
Signing Date: December 17, 2024
Contract: Eight years, $218 million
At the start of the 2024-25 offseason, the Yankees’ main focus was on brining back Juan Soto. In addition to hitting the home run that sent the Yankees to the 2024 World Series, Soto had an unbelievable season and his combination with Aaron Judge had the potential to be an all-time great one if he stayed in the Bronx.
Unfortunately, we know how that story went. The Mets seemingly weren’t going to be denied in their pursuit of Soto, and they beat the Yankees to the punch. That being said, even without Soto, the Yankees had a roster that had just won the AL pennant. They were still in a, hopefully, “contending” window and needed somewhere to pivot. They decided to do so with one of the best pitchers on the market.
The Los Angeles-area born Max Fried had been a first-round draft pick of the Padres — seventh overall — in 2012 after starring at Harvard-Westlake School alongside fellow future standouts Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito. However, San Diego would not be where Fried would make his name. Having worked his way into the top 100 prospect lists, Fried was part of a multi-player deal in 2014 that sent him to the Braves, with Justin Upton the headliner going to the Padres. It was a savvy move that would have major ramifications for Atlanta in just a few years.
The trade went down as Fried was still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he missed the entire 2015 season. After returning for 2016, Fried got the call-up to the majors in August 2017, debuting out of the bullpen. Fried ended up appearing in nine games — four starts — in 2017, posting a 3.81 ERA in 26 innings. While he returned to the minors for much of the following season, he was again pretty solid when getting his cup of coffee in the bigs in 2018.
Fried got a chance to start 2019 in the majors, albeit in the bullpen. However, he quickly ended up in the rotation and made 30 starts in his first full major-league season that year. The 2020 season was, of course, COVID-shortened, but it was Fried’s breakout campaign, as he posted a 2.25 ERA over his 11 starts, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
The next two years saw Fried fully get on the map. In 2021, he was, by several measures, the Braves’ best starter as they won the 2021 World Series crown. He was the winning pitcher in the series-clinching Game 6 victory, shutting the Astros out for six innings.
In 2022, Fried posted arguably his best year, putting up a career best total in both WARs, recording a 2.48 ERA and a second place Cy Young finish. His 2023 was limited to just 77.2 innings due to injury, but both that year and 2024, he was still very good. That led him to being one of the marquee free agents on the 2024-25 market, and on the short list for the best pitcher available.
The Yankees have a history of employing very good left-handed pitchers, which may have prompted them to pivot to Fried as their big acquisition post-Soto. While they had already met with him while still pursuing Soto, they moved quickly after losing the outfielder, inking Fried to an eight-year deal less than a week after Soto went to Queens. The $218 million deal was the largest ever signed by a left-handed pitcher.
One year into that contract, and it’s hard to have any big complaints. Fried’s debut season in the Bronx saw him post a 2.86 ERA along with a league-leading 19 wins. He got off to a ridiculous start, winning AL Pitcher of the Month for April, and ended up winning that same honor during the season’s home stretch in September. Fried earned All-MLB First Team honors, finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting, and nabbed his fourth career Gold Glove.
Beyond that, with the absence of Gerrit Cole, Fried had to step up as the de facto Yankees’ ace. He was the man who took the mound in Game 1 of the Yankees’ Wild Card Series clash against Boston and threw 6.1 shutout innings. His start against the Blue Jays in the ALDS didn’t go well, but on the whole, Fried came up big in his first year in pinstripes — especially given the increased pressure caused by Cole’s absence.
Fried will be under contract through his age-38 season in 2032. Fingers crossed that he has more greatness ahead this coming season!
Edtior’s note: As Matt wrote at the top, since this series and its selection process began before Cody Bellinger was re-signed a month ago, the Max Fried signing from December 2024 will mark the end of our “50 Most Notable Yankees Free Agent Signings in 50 Years” series. Thank you for following along in this walk down Yankees history! If you missed any of the contracts we discussed, check out the full rundown here.