Max Fried says gut feeling brought him to Yankees, looks like ace versus former suitor Red Sox
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees from spring training TAMPA — In an alternate world, Max Fried could have been on the mound at Steinbrenner Field Tuesday as a Red Sox, pitching against the Yankees for the first of many times over the next seven years.In reality, the lefty was wearing pinstripes and mowing down the Red Sox in his penultimate spring outing, now more important to the Yankees than he has ever been.Fried looked the part of the de facto ace the Yankees need him to be this season without Gerrit Cole, tossing 4¹/₃ scoreless innings on 68 pitches as he neared the end of his buildup with eyes on starting the second game of the season.“They got a good one,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said before the 4-4 tie.Fried represented the Yankees’ Plan B this offseason after losing Juan Soto in free agency — or, as Cole put it earlier this spring, a second Plan A in a “decisive pivot.” It took eight years and $218 million to land him, with the Red Sox and Rangers also finalists before the Yankees added an eighth year to seal the deal.On Tuesday, Fried said he “definitely considered” the Red Sox after meeting with them via Zoom, but chalked up his decision to sign with the Yankees to a “gut feeling that I felt like this was the right place for me.” Of course, the money didn’t hurt either.But Cora said the Red Sox liked Fried for his pitchability, good stuff and ability to make adjustments in-game.“He knows what he’s doing,” Cora said.“He comes from an organization [the Braves] that, that’s what they do, right? They pitch.
It was good to talk to him and understand what drives him and how he operates on the mound.Actually, he knew what he was talking about because he mentioned our defense.
He’s a guy that’s going to put the ball in play, so you have to play defense behind him.We actually told him, ‘We’re going to be b...