The New York Yankees entered spring training with more starting pitching than they knew what to do with. Now, they need all the help they can get.
Shortly after Juan Soto hopped on the Queens-bound 7-train, the Yankees signed starter Max Fried to a record-shattering eight-year, $218 million pact – the largest contract ever dealt to a left-handed starter. Fried, a two-time All-Star and former World Series Champion with the Atlanta Braves was acquired with the intention of producing a formidable one-two punch at the forefront of the starting rotation alongside righty ace Gerrit Cole.
But a wrench has since been thrown into that plan as Cole underwent Tommy John surgery on Tuesday. The operation will sideline him for the entire 2025 season, and the Yanks will have to wait at least another year before they can see the star-studded duo in action.
“Obviously, I really feel for him. It stinks. He’s a competitor, and he wants to be out there,” Fried told reporters on Tuesday. “I was really excited to be able to share a dugout and be able to play with him. It’ll just be delayed a little bit.”
Additionally, reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil will miss at least the first three months of the season with a right lat strain. Fried, who has yet to start a regular season game in pinstripes, will be tasked with commanding the depleted rotation as the club’s ace.
Cole has served as the Yankees’ No. 1 starter since he signed with the club in 2019. He took home the American League Cy Young Award in 2023 and followed up that campaign by leading New York to their first World Series appearance in 15 years. Across five October starts last season, the 34-year-old held a 2.17 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 29.0 innings of work.
Meanwhile, Fried has asserted dominance in his own right. He took the mound for Game 6 of the 2021 Fall Classic, where he famously shoved six scoreless innings against the Houston Astros to secure Atlanta’s first World Series championship since 1995.
Over 29 starts in 2024, the thirty-year-old lefty maintained a 3.25 ERA and a 1.164 WHIP with 166 strikeouts. He went the distance on two separate occasions, hurling a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins last April on just 92 pitches. He joins the Yankees, boasting the lowest ERA among qualified starters since 2022 (2.80).
The lefty made his spring debut with the Yankees against the Pittsburgh Pirates on March 3. Wearing pinstripes for the first time, Fried gave up two earned runs across 2.2 innings while striking out a pair.
Fried understands that he can’t replace what Cole brings to the table. But at the same time, he’s confident in what he has to offer.
“I have to be Max Fried,” he said on Tuesday morning. “I can’t try to fill in anyone else’s shoes.”
Due to the long-term absences of Cole and Gil, New York must rely on Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Marcus Stroman to step up behind Fried. If the Yankees choose not to pursue additional free agents or trade targets to round out the rotation, they could also turn to Will Warren or Carlos Carrasco, both of whom have had excellent spring campaigns.
“We still have a full season,” Fried said. “And we still have a lot of really talented, great players in this locker room that we’re confident in.”
