Fried wasn’t cheap and took up a significant chunk of the Yankees’ offseason budget. The left-hander signed for $218 million over eight years, the largest contract for a left-handed pitcher ever. His presence, however, makes the Yankees’ rotation (on paper) one of the very best in baseball.

It wasn’t too long ago that Max Fried pitched the game of his life. The lanky left-hander hurled six shutout innings in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series on the night the Atlanta Braves clinched the championship over the Houston Astros.