When Juan Soto left the Yankees, the club found itself in a particular position. Admittedly, he had just lost a huge piece of his training in 2024 … But suddenly, all the money reserved for Soto became available to get reinforcement elsewhere.
A generational talent left … But the opportunity was good to get several good players instead of a very big name in Soto.
And the first one that happened was Max Fried, who signed a $ 218 million pact over eight years. It was a big contract, but the club wanted to bet on a excellent second leaving behind Gerrit Cole.
However, Cole needed to go under the scalpel before the start of the campaign, so that Fried ended up in the chair of the launcher in the Bronx. And so far, it is all that the club could have dreamed of … and even more.
An MPM of 1.05 in eight departures and 51.2 rounds: it is exceptional.
So that means that in the moment, the absence of Cole is much less pain than you would have thought in the Bronx. The club has found someone to take their place as #1 … and it's already starting to talk about seeing Fried Supplant Cole in the hierarchy.
Think again, it will not happen immediately: Cole is still, until proven otherwise, the launcher of this team.
That said, when we look at Fried's performance, we tell ourselves that it puts a little less pressure on Cole's shoulders when he is back. If Fried (and Carlos Rodon, who has been really on fire for a little while) are able to perform like this, it buys time in Cole to find his bearings.
We know that coming back from an operation Tommy John is not always easy … But if Cole is well supported, it will make sure that he will not also have the pressure to be dominant upon his return.
We will therefore see if Fried will be able to keep the course, but at the moment, the Yankees have for their money with the big left. And in a year when Gerrit Cole is far from the mound, bet on a Fried at the top of his art, it is really not too much in the Bronx.
- Andres Gimenez on the injured list.
