Max Fried DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

New York Yankees starting pitcher Max Fried may not get the nod on Opening Day. Manager Aaron Boone noted that "it might not line up" for Fried to take the mound that day. Fantasy managers should monitor his status, but it seems Carlos Rodon may be the likely candidate to open their season. Earlier in the offseason, the Yankees signed Fried to a massive eight-year $218 million contract. With Gerrit Cole (elbow) set to undergo Tommy John and Luis Gil (lat) expected to miss at least three months of action, Fried and Rodon are set to lead the rotation. Last season, Fried logged 174 1/3 innings of work with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. He tallied 166 strikeouts and generated an elite 59.2 percent ground-ball rate. If Rodon were to get the nod, he would be a risky play in DFS facing the reigning NL Central Champions, the Milwaukee Brewers. Last season, Rodon held a 3.96 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP.

New York Yankees left-hander Max Fried will make his Yankees Grapefruit League debut on Monday, March 3, against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Steinbrenner Field, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. Fried will be pitching in the Bronx for the first time in 2025 after signing an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees over the winter. The 31-year-old southpaw will serve as the team's No. 2 starting pitcher behind right-hander Gerrit Cole after spending the first eight years of his major-league career with the Atlanta Braves. Fried is no stranger to injuries, but he mostly stayed healthy in his final year with the Braves in 2024 and finished with a 3.25 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 166 strikeouts and 57 walks in 174 1/3 innings over 29 regular-season starts. He has only gone over 180 innings once in his eight seasons and has a below-average strikeout rate, making him more of a low-end No. 2/high-end No. 3 fantasy starting pitcher.

Free-agent left-hander Max Fried and the New York Yankees agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal on Tuesday, pending a physical, according to sources. It becomes the largest guarantee in baseball history for a left-handed pitcher and sends Fried from the National League East with the Atlanta Braves to the American League East. Fried will not have any deferred money and won't be able to opt out of the contract. Although injuries have set back the 30-year-old southpaw before, the Yankees were willing to take the risk because of Fried's ace potential when healthy. The two-time All-Star has a career 3.07 ERA (3.29 FIP), a 1.16 WHIP and 23.9% strikeout rate in his eight big-league seasons (all in Atlanta). He has made at least 28 starts in four of the last five full seasons but he also has topped 180 innings just once. The move to the AL East won't be easy, but Fried's ground-ball tendencies in the Bronx should help.