DALLAS — The Yankees were badly stung Sunday, losing superstar hitter Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets for that record, almost unreal $765 million deal. The better news is it took only two days to rally big-time, signing Max Fried to the largest free-agent contract for a left-hander ever.
Fried beat David Price by $1 million to become the top lefty moneymaker. It wasn’t quite like Soto blowing away the field with his historic deal, but it’s an extremely nice contract for Fried.
Better still, it’s also a great bounce-back pickup for the Yankees, who now have one of the best righty-lefty rotation combinations in years, with Gerrit Cole at the top and Fried just beneath. They thought they had that combo when they imported Carlos Rodon for $162 million. But Rodon is still adjusting to New York. The guess is it will go better for Fried.
While Fried doesn’t quite make up for Soto, the Yankees are just starting the recovery process.
