Max Fried ‘Expected’ to Sign with Yankees or Red Sox, Per Insider

Superstar outfielder Juan Soto is not the only free agent the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are competing for.

Sep 16, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried (54) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The winter meetings are set to officially begin Monday, and Juan Soto is not the only free agent the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are competing for.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried is expected to land a contract worth more than $200 million, with the odds tilting toward an AL East team rather than Fried re-signing with the Atlanta Braves.

“Fried priced himself out of Atlanta, but is expected to sign with the Yankees or Red Sox,” Nightengale wrote. “If Soto goes to the Mets, Fried could find himself in a nice bidding war between the Red Sox and Yankees.”

Fried, who will turn 31 in January, made 29 starts for Atlanta this past season, posting an 11-10 record with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and an 8.6 K/9 rate. He was named to his second All-Star team, further solidifying a résumé that includes three Gold Glove Awards and a World Series championship.

Over 20 career postseason appearances (12 of which were starts), Fried is 2-5 with a 5.10 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, and an 8.9 K/9 rate. His standout performance came in the final game of the 2021 World Series, when he pitched six shutout innings against the Houston Astros to help the Braves clinch their first title in 26 years.

Should Fried sign with the Yankees, he would join a rotation featuring veterans Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, and breakout righty Clarke Schmidt. The Yankees would also need to navigate their situation with veterans Marcus Stroman, who is set to earn $18.3 million in 2025, and Nestor Cortes Jr., who enters his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent next winter.

In 2024, Fried relied on a seven-pitch mix, with his four-seam fastball, curveball, sinker, and changeup all posting positive run values. YES Network’s Michael Kay previously reported that the Yankees held a 90-minute Zoom call with Fried on Dec. 3, which he said went “very well” and that the two sides would meet again.

"The Yankees had a 90 minute Zoom call with Max Fried yesterday, and it supposedly went very well . . . somebody who's on the Fried side said that Max really really liked them and apparently they're going to have another meeting as well" - @RealMichaelKay pic.twitter.com/FdNh0kLC7z

— The Michael Kay Show (@TMKSESPN) December 4, 2024

It remains unclear how the possibility of Soto re-signing with the Yankees would affect their pursuit of Fried. However, with one top "Plan B" target, Willy Adames, already off the board—signing a seven-year, $182 million deal with the San Francisco Giants—it makes sense for either the Yankees or Red Sox to aggressively pursue Fried if they need to pivot away from Soto. Neither team can afford to be shut out in free agency.