Yankees get Max Fried: Small piece of the puzzle or impulse buy?

DALLAS — Amid the Juan Soto fallout, Brian Cashman pledged a swift pivot to Plan B, and he seemed especially eager to do so with Hal Steinbrenner’s $760 million offer returned to the GM’s pocket.

Still, Cashman insisted, the Yankees wouldn’t respond with some reckless spending spree like “drunken sailors,” which is the term he used.

Those words sounded like a cooler, more sane approach toward upgrading the Yankees’ 2025 roster, as compared to Steinbrenner’s obsessive, feverish pursuit of Soto. Spread the money around, strengthen some areas of need, you know, normal team-building behavior.

But a day later, after the 24-hour mourning period for Soto’s departure, the Yankees went right back to being the Yankees again. Before Soto could even be introduced in a Mets jersey, Cashman quickly tried to put him in the rear-view mirror Tuesday by giving two-time All-Star Max Fried an eight-year, $218 million contract, according to sources.

Obviously, the Yankees bringing Fried on board, with the richest contract ever for a lefty starter, doesn’t instantly erase the sting of losing Soto to their crosstown rivals. It’s too soon. That’s going to take a while. But even with their dented pride, the Yankees remain flush with cash, and being rich is a weapon that’s served them well for decades.

In this case, Steinbrenner’s checkbook enabled them to outbid the Red Sox — a team far more desperate for rotation help — and find another avenue to fortify themselves for an AL East title defense. If the Yankees couldn’t bring back a run-producing prodigy like Soto, then why not shift to run prevention with another top name available in the free-agent market? After all, it’s only money.

Thanks to an already overheated market, and the post-Soto Yankees aggressively on the prowl, Fried got a bigger payday than many would have predicted. He’s an elite pitcher, sure. Fried’s finished in the top five for Cy Young twice. His calling card is superb command that often results in poor contact. A ground-ball generator that keeps hitters inside the fences, making him well-suited for the Bronx. Since 2017, Fried ranks fifth among MLB starters with a 0.75 HR/9 rate, quite the opposite of the Yankees’ current top lefty, the $162 million enigma Carlos Rodon.

But purchasing another starting pitcher was not really at the top of the Yankees’ most pressing offseason needs. They had a solid front four in place with Gerrit Cole, Rodon, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, plus Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman at the back end. While it never hurts to add more talented length to the rotation, Fried comes with a big price tag — and some worrisome risk.

The Yankees lessened the luxury tax hit by stretching out Fried’s contract over eight years, cutting him down to an AAV of $27.25 million, almost half the cost of Soto’s salary but still a considerable sum. Cashman hasn’t indicated what the Yankees’ budget is for 2025, but they’re not the Steve Cohen Mets, and Steinbrenner probably isn’t prepared to pull out all the financial stops for a handful of next-tier players like he was for Soto.

Also, Fried turns 31 in January, and hasn’t been the healthiest of pitchers the past two years. Back in 2023, Fried was limited to 14 starts due to a left forearm strain, but was great when actually on the mound (8-1, 2.55 ERA). Last season, he was sidelined with nerve inflammation in that same forearm, yet still made 29 starts to salvage his walk year (11-10, 3.25).

Repeated forearm issues tend to be a red flag for pitchers, and Fried already had Tommy John surgery a decade ago. That’s not to say it’s going to keep resurfacing in the future, but Fried isn’t getting any younger, and the Yankees just signed him through age 39. With the Yankees suddenly reaching for Fried, I can’t help but think of Steinbrenner’s impulse buy of Rodon, another overpay that came on the heels of Cohen signing Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86.6 million deal a week earlier in December of 2022.

This time, grabbing someone like Fried does seem to be in line with Cashman’s Plan B all along, as the GM told us Monday that he was on the periphery of the Blake Snell negotiations while Soto was still mulling his options. But when Snell’s agent Scott Boras — who also represents Soto — asked Cashman if he was prepared to make an offer, the GM said he needed a resolution on Soto first. The next morning, Snell had signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Dodgers.

The pressure was on the Yankees, and Cashman, to reboot this offseason makeover sooner rather than later, and they couldn’t afford to be patient. Is Fried the key to getting them back to the World Series? No chance. But it’s possible that he can be part of the blueprint that carries them deep into October again, as long as Cashman can also find some protection for Aaron Judge in the lineup. It won’t be anywhere near Soto quality, but the Yankees can’t worry about trying to make up for that Flushing traitor. Steinbrenner just has to keep writing more checks.

“There’s a lot of ways to become a great team,” manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday.

Minus Soto, Boone & Co. definitely aren’t there yet. Fried should help, but it’s got to be just the start of the Yankees trying to be the Yankees again.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.