TAMPA — The last time a high-priced lefty free agent starter pitched his first game during spring training, Carlos Rodón was roughed up by the Braves and ended up missing much of the first half with a forearm strain.
On Monday, Max Fried showed what the Yankees hoped to see when they gave the 31-year-old the biggest free agent contract to a left-handed starter in history this past offseason.
He threw just four curveballs over 2 ¹/₃ innings in his 49-pitch outing during his Yankees debut in a 12-3 Grapefruit League win over Pittsburgh at Steinbrenner Field, but was sharp as he worked on other aspects of his seven-pitch arsenal.
Max Fried throws a pitch for the Yankees during his Grapefruit League outing March 3.IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“It was nice to put the spikes on and get in some real game atmosphere,” Fried said. “New place, new environment, new team, new guys behind me. It’s definitely a little kick of adrenaline.”
That resulted in him hitting an uncharacteristic 97 mph when he normally sits at around 93.
As perhaps the most significant part of the franchise’s offseason pivot following the loss of Juan Soto to the Mets, Fried will be under the spotlight throughout the duration of his eight-year, $218 million deal.
As much as the Yankees are counting on new additions like Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt to solidify the Soto-less lineup, Fried will be relied upon to strengthen a rotation that performed well last year, but took a hit with the loss of Luis Gil at least until June due to a lat strain.
Even before Gil, the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, went down, Fried figured to be part of a 1-2 combination at the top of the rotation with Gerrit Cole.
So especially this year, all eyes will be on Fried to see how he makes the adjustment to pitching in New York after spending the first eight years of his major league career with Atlanta.
He’s coming off another stellar season with the Braves, but just as he did in 2023, Fried dealt with forearm issues a year ago that landed him on the 15-day injured list in July.
In 2023, he ended up on the 60-day IL and was limited to 77 ²/₃ innings and one rough outing in the playoffs.
But all appeared to go well Monday, as he got Oneil Cruz looking on a 96 mph four-seamer on the outside corner to end the top of the first and Enmanuel Valdez swinging on a 77 mph curveball for the final out an inning later.
Prior to the game, Aaron Boone reiterated how impressed he’s been by Fried’s mentality.
He expects the same from him on the mound.
Boone noted “how engaging he is and how he leaned into being here. He’s really investing in getting to know his teammates and the organization. He’s been a sponge and been open to a lot of different things. He’s coachable. You can tell he’s really excited to be here and it shows.”
The Yankees, though, didn’t bring Fried to New York just to be a good teammate, so his results Monday were encouraging.
“His stuff was really good,” Boone said after the outing. “He flashed a little bit of everything.”
That’s something that couldn’t be said often of Rodón in his first season in The Bronx, and while there’s still hope he can turn his Yankees career around, the Yankees would prefer Fried hit the ground running.
