It could go either way, honestly. The New York Yankees outbid the Atlanta Braves by a considerable margin to have Max Fried be part of their starting rotation. Fried may have been drafted out of high school by the San Diego Padres, but only pitched in Atlanta at the big-league level prior to this season. He maybe joining the defending American League champions, but there is a big catch, too.
With Yankees ace Gerrit Cole down for the count and needing Tommy John surgery, there is an even greater emphasis for Fried to shove every fifth day in the New York rotation. Fried showed he was certainly capable of that throughout most of his Atlanta tenure. While he did win Game 6 of the 2021 World Series over the Houston Astros, Fried has not been as reliable in the postseason in his career.
What I am getting at is Fried could either pitch up to his standard and make the Braves regret letting him walk, or conversely, struggle in his even more high-profile role, and Atlanta is validated for letting him go in his free agency. We will not know until the season shakes out. Fried signed with the Yankees on a multi-year deal, so even if he struggles in year one with the Yankees, time should be on his side.
Atlanta is still trying to round out its starting rotation before Spencer Strider makes his way back.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Max Fried's role in the New York Yankees' rotation is even more important
Overall, I think Fried is going to thrive on his new team in New York. The Yankees are one of the best teams in the American League today, and have been so for a long time. While it has been a painfully long time for franchise standards of having not won a World Series, at least they got to one a year ago before running into the buzzsaw that is the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fried's childhood team of note.
Where I think people could get frustrated with him is he does give up hits in bunches and he will get injured on occasion. Where the greatest point of frustration lies with him is I could see many of the big bats over in the Junior Circuit putting big flies onto the short porch at Yankee Stadium on the regular. Fried did pitch at a hitter's park in Atlanta, but pitching in New York magnifies everything.
Ultimately, the Yankees are paying Fried a small fortune to be as good, if not better, as he was in Atlanta. He is a perennial All-Star, but you could always feel that the pressure can get to him when everything is not going in his favor. Fried is still a big-game pitcher, but New York would have much rather had him be their No. 2 to Cole heading into his first season with the team. He is the No. 1 now.
Pitching for the most successful franchise in MLB history comes with great power and responsibility.