The New Yankees and Juan Soto didn’t reach a deal this offseason. Juan Soto is a Met. Nonetheless, the Yankees certainly won’t stay there and do nothing in the offseason. They lost an elite left-handed batter. But very soon after Soto joined the Mets, the Yankees signed a left-handed pitcher.
Max Fried, who helped the Braves win the 2021 World Series, agreed to an 8-year contract with the Yankees. The Yankees fell short in the postseason and they surely have to improve the team. Enhancing the rotation is always an important thing for most MLB teams. However, does signing Max Fried really help the Yankees?
Firstly, let’s look at Fried’s performance against the AL East opponents. He faced the Orioles 3 times so far in his career, posting a 4.05 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. In 2024, he tossed 5 innings against the Orioles, but he gave up 4 runs and took a loss. Meanwhile, he made 2 starts against the Red Sox so far in his career. Fried’s ERA against the Red Sox is 3.00. Last season, he threw 7 innings against the Red Sox. He did a great job, striking out 13 batters.
Moreover, he made 2 starts against the Rays, posting a 0.66 ERA and a 0.66 WHIP over 13.2 innings. The Rays batters didn’t hit well against him. Nonetheless, the last time he pitched against the Rays was in 2021. Furthermore, Fried pitched well against the Blue Jays. He made 3 starts and owned an ERA below 1. Fried’s WHIP against the Blue Jays is below 1. In 2024, he tossed 7 innings against the Blue Jays without giving up any runs.
In addition, did Fried pitch well at Yankee stadium? Well, he made a start at Yankee stadium last year. He tossed 6 innings and allowed only 1 run. And he earned a win. It might be a small sample size, but he did pitch well against a good lineup at this ballpark.
Finally, let’s look at the Yankees starters’ performances last season. Well, Gerrit Cole didn’t toss 100+ innings for the Yankees in 2024. However, 4 pitchers did throw more than 150 innings for the Yankees last season. Two southpaws, Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes, each finished the season with an ERA below 4 in 2024. At the same time, Luis Gil won the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year award. He owned a 3.50 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP over 151.2 innings. And Stroman finished the season with an ERA over 4. Max Fried made 29 starts in 2024, posting a 3.25 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP over 174.1 innings in 2024. Looking at the stats, Fried’s ERA was better than any of the Yankees pitchers who tossed more than 150 innings last year.
Max Fried, who’s a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion, will surely help the Yankees enhance the rotation if he pitches as he has done in his career. Nonetheless, he missed significant time due to injuries in 2023 and that’s an important thing that the Yankees would like to avoid. Also, Fried’s walk rate increased from 5.8% to 8.0% and his strikeout rate dropped a little bit. That might be something worth watching in 2025.
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