Sometimes roster moves during the offseason in Major League Baseball are made with certain conditions that at first glance seem incomprehensible or have no immediate explanation, and it is in emergency cases such as the one facing the New York Yankees that they are understood.
Max Fried’s hiring will pay dividends soon
This is what happened to the Bronx Bombers when they acquired the services of Max Fried in the midst of an acquisition crisis with the burden of having lost the World Series, and if that wasn’t enough at a cost that many considered excessive, as $218 million represented the most lucrative deal for a left-handed pitcher and the fourth most important for a pitcher in Major League history, money that some thought could be used to seek other options.
In addition, Fried was not being considered to be a stellar starter for the Yankees in 2025, so the decision to take him to the Bronx nine was less understood at the time, but fortune or unpredictable chance determined that Fried’s role was modified just days before the start of the season thanks to Gerrit Cole’s injury, which suddenly made some people’s hopes fly high.
Max Fried, an ace who is sure to respond with the Yankees
For the detractors of the move, that large amount of money will be justified very early on when Fried shows why he was signed by the Yankees, as he is the one chosen to replace Gerrit Cole in the rotation and thus seek that the weight of the absence of ‘Chef G’ is not so difficult to bear from the mound.
Max Fried arrived this offseason from the Atlanta Braves, where he pitched 29 starts, 174 1/3 innings in which he achieved a 3.25 ERA, a 1.16 WHIP and 166 strikeouts. That’s why it’s strange that there have been dissenting voices in New York about his signing.
In this way, the Santa Monica native is preparing to lead the Yankees’ starting rotation ahead of Carlos Rodon, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt, starting next Thursday, March 27, when they open hostilities against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.
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