Max Fried Rumors: Star Has a 7-Year Contract Offer; Decision Expected by Thursday

With Juan Soto reportedly off the board, the next big dominoes in MLB free agency could fall rather quickly.

Starting pitcher Max Fried has received at least one contract offer of seven years, according to Jon Morosi of MLB.com. The dollar figure is unknown.

Morosi added the New York Yankees are willing to offer Fried a seven-year deal.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported Fried is expected to settle on a team by Thursday and listed the Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers as prospective candidates for the southpaw.

Soto was by far the biggest star on the market when the offseason kicked into gear. Nobody is going to come close to matching the $765 million the New York Mets offered to him.

In that respect, his contract isn't all that instructive to other players near the upper tier of free agency. Him striking a bargain with New York did, however, highlight which teams are prepared to spend this winter.

The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays were all finalists for Soto, with the New York Post's Joel Sherman reporting the Bronx Bombers were prepared to give him $760 million. It stands to reason all three will take some or most of the money earmarked for Soto and spread it across other signings.

ESPN's Alden González reported New York and Boston in particular "have been heavy on [Fried] for weeks now."

The Red Sox could certainly use an ace of the 30-year-old's caliber. Lucas Giolito was their notable addition to the rotation last year, and he has yet to make his debut for the team thanks to an elbow injury.

The Yankees, meanwhile, need another lefty to balance out their staff, with Carlos Rodón the only one in their projected rotation right now.

Once Fried signs, the focus will shift to Corbin Burnes, assuming he doesn't agree to a contract within the next 48 hours.

The 2021 National League Cy Young winner is incentivized to wait a bit since the full terms of Fried's contract will be a helpful guide for him and his agent at the negotiating table.