Juan Soto is officially off the market after he signed a record-breaking contract with the New York Mets, and starting pitcher Max Fried could now become the next big domino to fall.
Fried and Corbin Burnes are the best pitchers remaining on the free-agent market, and many believe they will each get deals worth $200 million or more. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Fried is expected to sign with either the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees.
Both the Red Sox and Yankees were said to be in on the Soto bidding, but they were not willing to spend quite as much as the Mets. It makes sense for them to now turn their attention to Fried, as both teams could use a left-handed starter.
Fried spent the first eight seasons of his MLB career with the Atlanta Braves. He went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts last season. He was named an All-Star for the second time, with the other appearance coming in 2022.
The Red Sox were supposedly in on another free-agent starter that has come off the market. There have been reports for weeks that they have interest in Fried, so it would not be a surprise if they hammer out a deal now that Soto has made his decision.
