Jeff Passan, ESPNDec 10, 2024, 05:50 PM ET
- ESPN MLB insider
Author of "The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports"
Two-time All-Star Max Fried and the New York Yankees are in agreement on an eight-year, $218 million contract, sources told ESPN, the largest guarantee ever for a left-handed pitcher.
The deal, which is pending a physical, is the 12th contract of at least $100 million the Yankees have given out in franchise history, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most by any team.
Fried, 30, who blossomed into one of the best pitchers in the National League over seven years with the Braves, is a two-time All-Star with a 2.81 ERA over the past five seasons in Atlanta -- tops in the majors just ahead of Corbin Burnes (2.88) among MLB starting pitchers over that span.
While he does not overwhelm hitters with his raw stuff, his artistry on the mound is beyond reproach and his ability to go deep into games was attractive to teams in search of an Opening Day-type starter.
While Fried's career includes up-and-down postseason performances, it's impossible to forget his six shutout innings in Atlanta's World Series-clinching Game 6 in 2021. He arrived in Atlanta as the headliner in a trade for Justin Upton after undergoing Tommy John surgery following two disappointing seasons in San Diego's farm system.
The No. 7 pick in the 2012 draft, Fried projected as a classic spin-heavy left-hander whose command would be his biggest strength.
That proved prophetic. Fried's best pitches are his curveball and slider, and while models regard his fastball as below-average, his command of it -- and ability to mix pitches -- has brought him continued success. Over the past five years, Baseball-Reference has him third among all pitchers in WAR and FanGraphs 11th.
The biggest question regarding Fried is whether he can evolve into the rarest sort of starter: productive and prolific. His career-high innings total, 185.1, came in 2022.
In 2024, with Braves co-ace Spencer Strider out after Tommy John surgery, Fried posted a 3.25 ERA in 174.1 innings, struck out 166, walked 57, allowed only 13 home runs and led MLB with a pair of complete games. His year-by-year ERAs over the four prior seasons: 2.25, 3.04, 2.48 and 2.55.
The Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers were also involved in the pursuit of Fried, who now joins one of the deepest rotations in baseball that already includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman.
Fried's $218 million deal exceeds that of David Price, who signed with the Red Sox for $217 million in 2015. Price and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw ($215 million) are the only other left-handed pitchers to receive $200 million contracts.
ESPN Research contributed to this report.
