The Braves legend will leave Atlanta with fond memories and will get a huge contract to play in the Bronx.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that Braves legend Max Fried has agreed to a massive 8 year $218 million deal with the New York Yankees.
BREAKING: Left-hander Max Fried and the New York Yankees are in agreement on a eight-year, $218 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. It is the largest guarantee in baseball history for a left-handed pitcher.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 10, 2024
In total dollars that beats Blake Snell’s five year $182 million deal from earlier in the offseason and as Justin Toscano points out, it is a record total value for a left-handed pitcher. While Braves fans will certainly miss Max, many will feel happy for him that he got such a huge payday for himself. This number also blows pre-free agency estimates out of the water, as Fangraphs had him in the 5 year $125-$140 million range, while MLBTR had him getting $156 million over 6 years. The pitching market has been running extraordinarily hot this offseason, but Max may have gotten the best deal of them all so far. It is a silver lining that he will at least be out of the National League and the Braves will rarely face him, if ever.
Max pitched a gem of a start to clinch the Braves their 2021 World Series victory and produced 19 fWAR over 8 seasons in Atlanta, finishing in the top 5 for the Cy Young twice, second in 2022.
Fried tweeted a Derek Jeter reference back in 2014, so perhaps he has some affinity for his new organization as well.