MLB Rumors: Yankees, Red Sox 'Heavy On' Max Fried amid Juan Soto, Mets Contract Buzz

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are both interested in free-agent starter Max Fried, according to ESPN's Alden Gonzalez.

Both New York and Boston have been "heavy on" Fried "for weeks now" and their pursuits haven't been tied to Juan Soto, per Gonzalez.

Soto agreed to join the New York Mets on a record-breaking 15-year, $765 million contract on Sunday night, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Yankees and Red Sox were reportedly among the teams vying for his services, but both will now look elsewhere in free agency.

Fried is a good place to start, although he appears to have been on the radar of the two organizations well before Soto's decision.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Sunday that the lefty is "expected" to sign with either the Yankees or Red Sox. His eventual contract is projected to exceed $200 million, via Nightengale.

The 30-year-old remained a key member of the Atlanta Braves rotation in 2024, earning the second All-Star nod of his career. In 29 starts, Fried compiled a record of 11-10 to go along with a 3.25 ERA.

While his average of 2.9 walks per nine innings represented the worst mark since his 2020 campaign, he also struck out 166 batters in 174.1 innings of work and continued to excel at forcing ground balls.

If Fried were to join the Yankees, he'd immediately form one of the top starting pitching duos in the majors alongside ace Gerrit Cole.

Boston doesn't boast a starter at the same level as Cole, allowing Fried to possibly headline a rotation that includes Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello and Kutter Crawford.