Dream rotation for the Yankees to win a World Series after landing Max Fried

Well, that's one way to bounce back from whiffing on the biggest free agent in baseball history. The New York Yankees needed something big after watching Juan Soto head to the crosstown Mets, and Brian Cashman delivered on Tuesday, signing former Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried to a record eight-year, $218 million deal — the largest guarantee ever for a left-handed pitcher. New York needed a boost to its rotation, and Fried was one of the two best options on the market, a true 1B alongside Gerrit Cole.

But while Cashman did well to stem the tide, he can't be done. The Yankees are long on bodies in their starting rotation, but short on sure things: Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes battle injuries and inconsistency seemingly every year, while we don't yet know exactly what kind of pitchers Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt are going to become. For a team with World Series aspirations in 2025, that's not good enough.

So let's try and build something better. With Fried now in tow, here's what a best-case scenario for New York's Opening Day rotation might look like — including one more big addition.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Yankees dream rotation includes both Max Fried and Garrett Crochet

On Monday, The Athletic reported that the Yankees, along with the Mets, were "the most aggressive suitors" for Crochet. It's hard to believe that's totally out the window now; presumably Cashman was engaging with the White Sox with the knowledge that signing Fried was a real possibility. And why should it be? You can never have too much pitching, especially given the questions surrounding Rodon, Cortes and even young guys like Gil and Schmidt, and Crochet offers the chance to acquire someone with legitimate ace upside with two years left on a very team-friendly deal.

So let's say that Cashman keeps at it, and manages to land the lefty from Chicago in exchange for Gil and a prospect package. That still leaves a very enticing starting five of Cole, Fried, Crochet, Rodon and Schmidt, with Minor League depth options like Will Warren and Chase Hampton still available. New York probably needs one more veteran arm to round things out and plug gaps, so let's say they sign DeSclafani, who missed all of last season due to arm surgery and can likely be had for cheap.

If you're wondering about Corbin Burnes or Roki Sasaki, you can probably put those dreams to rest. Burnes figures to use Fried's contract as a starting point in negotiations, while Sasaki reportedly would like to wind up somewhere on the West Coast (and his agent has hinted that a small- or mid-sized market might be best). But this rotation would comfortably rank among the very best in baseball, and would make New York an awfully tough out come playoff time.