After the news that Juan Soto would be joining the team across town Yankees general manager Brian Cashman began to make some serious pivots.
This week the Yankees signed Max Fried and then traded for Devin Williams. The Yankees now have arguably the best pitching in all of baseball, and certainly the best in the American League East.
Max Fried comes over with a brand new eight-year, $218 million deal. Fried is nearly a perfect fit for the Yankees. He is a lefty, which in Yankees Stadium is a big boost, he also is a ground ball pitcher and has excelled year after year. Fried is a two time all star that pitched for the Braves last season. He had an 11-10 record and 3.25 ERA in 29 starts. Fried also is known for going deep into games and last season he tied for the MLB lead with two complete games and one shutout. That is nothing new for Fried as since 2020 he has a 2.81 ERA , which is the lowest in baseball among pitchers with at least 500 innings in that span.
The Yankees weren't done there as they went out and traded from the now deep rotation to get a dynamic back end arm. The Yankees dealt Nestor Cortes and a minor leaguer for the Brewers closer Devin Williams. Williams is one of the best closers in the sport and now allows the Yankees to put Weaver back in that shut down 8th inning slot. Williams is a two-time National League Reliever of the Year and was also the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year. Over his 6 year career he compiled a 1.83 ERA with 68 saves, a 1.02 WHIP and 14.3 K/9.
The Yankees don't seem to be done even after these two outstanding moves but one thing is for sure that Soto money is going to good use on the field.