When the Yankees lost Juan Soto to their crosstown rivals last offseason, there was no one-to-one replacement available. Instead, the team’s front office was forced to pivot to a group of veteran additions across the diamond. This consolation package, which included outfielder Cody Bellinger, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, and closer Devin Williams, was headlined by Max Fried. The former Brave agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal that represented the largest contract ever signed by a left-handed
pitcher, fortifying a starting rotation that had finished a middling eighth in the AL in ERA the year prior. Thankfully for the Yankees, Fried did not pitch like a consolation prize.
Grade: A
2025 Statistics: 19-5, 2.86 ERA, 195.1 IP, 189 K, 142 ERA+, 3.07 FIP, 8.7 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 4.8 fWAR
2026 Contract Status: Under contract, $14.5 million
With ace Gerrit Cole lost for the season to a torn UCL, the 30-year-old stepped seamlessly into his spot atop the rotation. Fried finished one win shy of becoming the first Yankee to win 20 games since CC Sabathia accomplished the feat in 2010. As Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt joined Cole on the IL for large stretches of the season, Fried was a rock, starting 32 games and securing his third All-Star berth. He was held out of that showcase due to a blister and, whether due to the blister or not, July and August coincided with the veteran’s worst stretch of the year, during which he allowed 36 runs in 41 innings across eight starts. Excepting that rough patch, Fried pitched to a remarkable 1.80 ERA, a benchmark which only three Yankees starters have ever surpassed over a full season.
In ten of the southpaw’s 32 starts — nearly a third — he went at least seven innings and allowed either one or zero runs. On the flip side, only twice did he last fewer than five innings and only twice did he permit more than four runs. Only two AL bullpens threw fewer innings than the Yankees’ this year, thanks in no small part to the consistency and durability of Fried and rotation-mate Carlos Rodón.
Fried didn’t wait long to make his presence known in the Bronx. In his third start as a Yankee, he dominated the Tigers, holding them off the board while punching out 11 in seven innings of work to avoid an early sweep.
Just two starts later, he turned in perhaps his best start of the year. Facing the division-rival Rays, Fried tossed seven innings of no-hit ball — or so it seemed. Between the seventh and eighth innings, official scorer Bill Mathews reversed a sixth-inning error to a hit, ending a no-hitter in the most anticlimactic manner possible. Fried’s final line was 7.2 shutout innings with two hits allowed, his longest outing of the season.
Those two starts served notice that the pitcher who recorded a 3.07 ERA in 884.1 innings in Atlanta was to have no growing pains in his transition to the AL. His regular-season success translated to his biggest start in pinstripes to date. Handed the ball for a crucial Game 1 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox, Fried was every bit the ace, holding Boston off the board across 6.1 innings of work. He allowed seven baserunners but pitched around traffic all night, including punching out Jarren Duran to strand runners on second and third, after which the stoic starter showed some uncharacteristic emotion.
Manager Aaron Boone’s decision to pull his ace at 102 pitches was a controversial one made more divisive by what followed. Luke Weaver coughed up the Yankees’ lead in short order, sullying Fried’s chance at a signature Yankee moment. He’d get his chance again against the Blue Jays in the next round. After a 10-1 drubbing in Game 1 of the ALDS, the Yankees turned to Fried to stop the bleeding. It was a devastating time for his worst outing of the season.
After allowing two runs in the second and three in the third, Fried allowed the first two runners to reach in the fourth before getting the hook. His seven-run unraveling brought the Yankees to the brink of elimination and, despite winning Game 3, they were unable to claw their way back to reach the next round. As such, Fried’s historic first season in pinstripes ended in bitter disappointment.
Still, his outlook looks rosy. After struggling with injuries for much of his career, Fried was largely healthy, only briefly waylaid by a blister while starting 32 games for the first time. His advanced stats, including a 3.41 xERA, suggest that, while the veteran may be due for some regression, his success in 2025 should be sustainable. Along with Rodón, he gives the Yankees a safety net atop the rotation while Cole continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery entering the 2026 season.
