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Max Fried is now the de facto ace for the New York Yankees.
Gerrit Cole is going to miss the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery, and up-and-comer Luis Gil — the reigning AL Rookie of the Year — is going to miss at least three months with a lat strain.
Fried, 31, signed an eight-year, $218 million contract in December 2024 with the Yankees after eight seasons with the Atlanta Braves. He was expected to be a terrific piece alongside Cole and Gil, but now he’s going to be at the top of the rotation for New York — at least until Gil comes back.
That’s a lot of pressure on the new Yankee’s shoulders, especially replacing a Cy Young pitcher like Cole, but Fried seems to be taking it in stride.
“At the end of the day, no one is Gerrit Cole, right?” Fried told the media on Tuesday, according to ESPN. “I’ve got to take the ball every time that I take the ball. It doesn’t matter if he was on the mound or not. Realistically, it’s just about doing my job. It’s going out there and making sure that, when I take the ball, we have a really good chance to win that day.”
Fried is a two-time All-Star and a Cy Young candidate, so it’s not like he can’t live up to the billing in New York. He went 11-10 last season with a 3.25 ERA,1.165 WHIP and 166 strikeouts.
The Yankees are without a doubt discombobulated without Cole and Gil. Fried will be getting the ball to start the season on Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankees Stadium on March 27, though.
“The way I try to see it is, it’s one of, hopefully, 33 starts,” Fried said.
As far as Opening Day starters are concerned, he may not be Cole, but he’s still a solid option for New York.
