Max Fried picked the Yankees because 'putting on the pinstripes is a certain responsibility'
The Yankees’ pivot from losing Juan Soto to the Mets happened fast — and it’s not over.
Lefthander Max Fried was introduced at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday after signing an eight-year, $218 million free-agent contract.
Reliever Devin Williams, acquired from Milwaukee last week, was introduced on Tuesday via Zoom.
Outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, who was picked up in a trade from the Cubs on Tuesday, should have his introductory Zoom session at 11 a.m.
General manager Brian Cashman is not sitting still, however, even though he did sit still on a Legends Club couch for 30 minutes after the Fried news conference answering questions about what the Yankees have done and what they still have to do.
Among the newsiest nuggets dropped by Cashman and Aaron Boone (the manager occupied the same couch before the general manager):
— Williams will be the Yankees’ closer with late-season and postseason sensation Luke Weaver as his setup man;
— Cashman has been granted an in-person meeting “soon” in Los Angeles with star free agent Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who has until Jan. 23 to sign with a U.S. team;
— Bellinger was not told by the Yankees that he will be playing centerfield in 2025. Boone called that “fake news” and said the club will wait to determine Bellinger’s main position once the rest of the roster is filled out.
— Cashman has spoken to agent Scott Boras about Mets free agent first baseman Pete Alonso. The Yankees signing Alonso seems unlikely, but until the Yankees add a first baseman or Alonso picks a team, it’s still out there, as are a number of other possibilities that may not have not been available to Cashman had Soto accepted the Yankees’ offer of 16 years and $760 million.
“I’ve had a conversation with Scott Boras about a number of his free agents that he has on the board still,” Cashman said when asked about Alonso. “So ultimately, I guess the best way to cover it is if somebody in the marketplace is a trade candidate for first or a free agent for first that's above average, then rest assured we're at least looking at it, dissecting it, having conversations about it. Same with second, same with third, same with outfield, same with bullpen.”
Signing Fried was an example of the Yankees taking the Soto money and beefing up what they already considered a strong rotation. Cashman said he told Fried’s agents he couldn’t make an offer until the Soto situation was settled.
Once Soto decided to jump to the Mets for 15 years and $765 million, Cashman pounced on Fried.
Boone called Fried “one of the game’s great pitchers year in and year out.”
Fried, 30, is 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA in eight seasons, all with Atlanta. He said he picked the Yankees because “being a baseball fan, you know what it means, or you just know the standard. Putting on the pinstripes is a certain responsibility and the expectation that comes with that, and I'm extremely excited to take that on.”
Fried was very business-like, both in the formal news conference and when he took his place on the couch. About the only time he smiled was when he mentioned his dog is named "Apollo," as in "Apollo Fried."
Fried said he didn't mean to name his dog after the "Rocky" movies character "Apollo Creed," that it was just a happy accident that amuses everyone.
Fried coming on board and donning a Yankees jersey with No. 54 on the back (his number in Atlanta) allowed Cashman to include Nestor Cortes in the trade for Williams.
Acquiring the defensively flexible Bellinger, whose father Clay played for the Yankees from 1999-2001, gives Cashman the freedom to add a first baseman or an outfielder, although the free-agent market is flush with more first basemen (Alonso, Christian Walker, Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana) than outfielders.
“I think we're in a better position now with Cody's addition,” Cashman said. “It gives us some flexibility not to be picky and choosey as much as be protected.”
Cashman said he wants Jasson Dominguez to be an everyday player in the big leagues, and hopes that "The Martian" grabs a job in spring training. If not, Cashman said, Dominguez will play every day in Triple-A.
Cashman played up the idea of Ben Rice getting a crack at first base, and he even trotted out the notion that DJ LeMahieu could have an impact next season. But it seems more likely the Yankees will add at least one more impact bat, whether it’s a first baseman or free agent third baseman Alex Bregman, another Boras client.
“We’ve done some heavy lifting, with Max, with Devin Williams, with Bellinger,” Cashman said. “But there's more lifting to do.”
Said Boone: “I feel like the winter, to this point, has been a good one.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
