On Tuesday, December 17, the New York Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract.
It is the highest guarantee in Major League Baseball history for a left-handed pitcher, surpassing David Price’s seven-year, $217 million contract with the Boston Red Sox from 2016.
New York will officially announce Fried on Wednesday at noon ET in Yankee Stadium’s press conference room.
“He’s one of the game’s really, really good pitchers and now has a really good track record of success,” New York manager Aaron Boone said of Fried last week. “He’s a special talent.”
Fried, a two-time All-Star, will join right-handed ace Gerrit Cole to provide a one-two punch at the top of the Yankees’ rotation. Cole, 34, signed the Yankees’ richest pitcher contract ever as a free agency in 2020 and chose to return to complete 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, finishing 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts last season. Over 174 1/3 innings, he struck out 166 batters and walked 57, a career best. He also pitched a major league-high two complete games, including one shutout.
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.
