The New York Yankees are coming off their first World Series appearance since 2009 after finishing the 2024 season with a record of 94-68 and winning the American League East.
The Yankees went into the offseason and lost one of their best players when Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets as a free agent.
Although losing Soto was a big hit to the Yankees roster, they added some key players throughout the rest of the offseason, including Devin Williams, Cody Bellinger and Max Fried.
Fried joins Gerrit Cole in the Yankees starting rotation, and teammates Aaron Judge revealed his thoughts on the left-hander.
“He could throw one pitch and just get you out with that pitch, but he’s got five or six, so he’s just a pitcher,” Judge said, via YES Network.
"He could throw one pitch and just get you out with that pitch. He's got 5 or 6, so he's a great pitcher."
— Aaron Judge on Max Fried pic.twitter.com/gzAZg86rtX
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) February 17, 2025
Fried debuted in 2017 with the Atlanta Braves and pitched eight seasons for them.
In 2024, he started 29 games and was 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings pitched.
Judge revealed how good Fried’s stuff is, and having so many different pitches makes it that much harder to face him as a hitter.
Fried also has playoff experience, with a World Series run with the Braves, and that could be a big benefit for the Yankees if they can get back into the postseason in 2025.
The Yankees will try to win back-to-back AL East titles for the first time since the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
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