The Yankees just lost their ace, but they’ve got another one ready to step up.
Gerrit Cole’s injury is a huge blow to New York’s championship hopes, but Max Fried is more than capable of filling those ace shoes. The lefty, who signed an eight-year, $218 million deal in December, now becomes even more crucial to the team’s success.
“At the end of the day, no one is Gerrit Cole, right?” Fried said Tuesday. “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.”
He’s focused on a simple goal: “It’s going out there and making sure that, when I take the ball, we have a really good chance to win that day.”
The truth is, Fried was already one of baseball’s best pitchers before coming to New York.
Over eight MLB seasons, he’s been a dominant force. His ERA is a whopping 40% better than league average – a number that puts him in elite company. Only superstars Jacob deGrom and Clayton Kershaw have better marks among active starters with similar experience.
What makes Fried so special? He’s got a deep arsenal of pitches, rarely gives up hard contact, and gets tons of ground balls – a perfect combination for success at Yankee Stadium.
“For me, I have to be Max Fried,” he explained. “I can’t try to fill anyone else’s shoes. I have to know what makes me successful and not try to be someone I’m not.”
The Yankees have faced pitching challenges before. Last season, Cole missed the first two and a half months with elbow issues. When he returned, he wasn’t quite his dominant self. The difference now? They’ve got Fried to lead the rotation.
Of course, it can’t be a one-man show. Carlos Rodón needs to rediscover the brilliance he showed before joining the Yankees. Luis Gil, last year’s AL Rookie of the Year, must recover quickly from his lat strain and pick up where he left off.
The front office might still need to look outside for more pitching help to replace Cole’s innings.
But when it comes to having a true ace? That box is already checked with Fried.
