Although the New York Yankees appeared in their first World Series since 2009, it’s been a rough couple of months for the organization.
After losing the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees have now been unable to bring back their superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who signed with the New York Mets in free agency.
As the Yankees prepare for life without Soto, MLB insider Jon Heyman named the Yankees as the favorite to land one of the top starters this season.
“At this point, I would say the Yankees prefer Fried,” Heyman said.
“At this point, I can say the Yankees prefer Fried.”
(w/ @JonHeyman:) pic.twitter.com/P0dcxtdQiI
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) December 10, 2024
Yankees fans are likely in mourning after Soto opted to sign with the Mets instead of returning to the Yankees next season.
While it’s hard to lose one of the best players in baseball, there are plenty of other big names available in free agency.
Heyman named the Yankees as the favorite to sign starter Max Fried from the Atlanta Braves.
Fried is one of the best starting pitchers available and had another good year for the Braves in 2024.
In 29 games started, Fried had an 11-10 record with a 3.25 ERA and 166 strikeouts in 174.1 innings.
While Fried had his lowest winning percentage since 2018, that can be attributed to the number of injuries the Braves faced during the season.
The Yankees have plenty of money to spend on other players since they didn’t sign Soto for more than $700 million.
Fried is just one name to watch, as the Yankees have plenty of other holes in their lineup that could use some filling.
NEXT: Aaron Boone has a candid confession about Juan Soto leaving the Yankees
