Report: Yankees agree to 8-year, $218M deal with Fried

Max Fried has found his bag in the Bronx.

The longtime Atlanta Braves ace agreed to an eight-year, $218-million contract with the New York Yankees, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan.

It's the largest contract given to a left-hander in baseball history, topping David Price's $217-million deal with the Red Sox, and the fourth-largest for a pitcher. The Yankees now have two of those top five contracts - Fried and Gerrit Cole - in their rotation.

The deal contains no deferred money or opt-outs, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He also gets a full no-trade clause, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Fried, 30, owns a lifetime 3.07 ERA, 3.29 fielding independent pitching, and 1.16 WHIP with 863 strikeouts in 168 appearances (151 starts) across eight seasons with the Braves. The two-time All-Star also owns three Gold Glove awards, a Silver Slugger from the pre-DH era, and was the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2022. His 2.81 ERA since the start of 2020 is the lowest among pitchers with at least 550 innings over that span, according to Sarah Langs of MLB.com.

The California native also brings plenty of postseason experience to New York after several years at the top of Atlanta's rotation. Fried was the ace of the Braves' 2021 World Series championship club and helped clinch that title with six shutout innings on the road in Game 6.

Last year saw Fried rebound from an injury-plagued 2023 campaign to put up a 3.25 ERA and 1.16 WHIP along with 166 strikeouts, two complete games, and one shutout over 174 1/3 innings. He crossed the 165-inning mark for the fourth time since 2019, and went over 170 for the second time in three seasons.

Now, he'll immediately form one half of a formidable duo atop New York's rotation alongside former Cy Young winner Cole. His presence lengthens the Yankees' rotation and leaves them with a surplus of capable starters on their active roster.

Yankees' projected 2025 rotation

The addition of Fried comes barely 48 hours after the Yankees lost superstar Juan Soto to the Mets on a $765-million mega-deal.

The Boston Red Sox were among the finalists for Fried's services, but their final offer came in well below what he got from the Yankees, a source told MassLive's Chris Cotillo. The Toronto Blue Jays also had interest in Fried, but were not involved in the final round of bidding, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reports.

The Texas Rangers also made a late attempt to sign Fried, according to Sherman.

Because Fried declined Atlanta's qualifying offer, the Braves will receive an extra draft pick after the end of the fourth round in the 2025 draft as compensation for his signing with the Yankees.