Left-hander Max Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
It’s the largest guarantee in MLB history for a left-handed pitcher, edging David Price’s seven-year, $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox in 2016.
New York officially will introduce Fried on Wednesday at noon ET in the press conference room at Yankee Stadium.
“He’s one of the game’s really, really good pitchers and has a really good track record now of success,” New York manager Aaron Boone said last week of Fried. “He’s a special talent.”
A two-time All-Star, Fried joins right-handed ace Gerrit Cole to form a one-two punch at the front of the Yankees’ rotation. Cole, 34, signed the largest contract ever for a pitcher with the Yankees in 2020 as a free agent and opted to return to finish out the nine-year, $324 million deal at the end of the World Series.
Fried, 30, spent his first eight MLB seasons with the Atlanta Braves and went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA across 29 starts last season. He had 166 strikeouts and a career-high 57 walks over 174 1/3 innings. He also pitched a major league-high two complete games (one shutout).
Fried was an All-Star in 2022 and 2024, and he received votes for the National League Cy Young Award in 2020 (placing fifth) and 2022 (second).
In 168 career games (151 starts), Fried has gone 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA and 863 strikeouts against 246 walks in 884 1/3 innings. He has tossed six complete games, including four shutouts.
Cole’s historic deal was exceeded last winter when the Dodgers won the bidding for Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed a $325 million contract.
