The New York Yankees knew they were getting a talented player when they signed Max Fried away from the Atlanta Braves this past offseason.
Eight-year, $218 million contracts aren’t handed out regularly, especially to pitchers who are already 31 years old. It was the largest contract ever signed by a left-handed pitcher, a massive risk being taken by the franchise.
Fried had some truly dominant stretches during his time with the Braves, making the All-Star team twice. The Yankees knew the upside that he possessed, but even they have to be pleasantly surprised with the improvements that he has made.
Always looking to improve, in his first meeting with pitching coach Matt Blake, the talented lefty made it clear that he was open to any ideas the team had for him to take his game to another level.
Several suggestions were made. Some people would say too many, especially for a player who already had such a successful track record. But he wanted it all.
“Keep going. What do you got? Keep giving it to me,” is what Fried basically said, according to Blake, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).
New York gave Fried all the information they could gather, he processed it, and it has turned into the best eight-game stretch of his career.
He currently leads the MLB with eight starts, six wins, a 1.000 win percentage, a 1.05 ERA, 51.2 innings pitched, 208 batters faced and an ERA+ of 381.
Coming from a team that handles things in a more traditional fashion, Fried was excited to see what the analytically driven Yankees coaching staff would come up with for him.
“He just was interested in exploring some of the data and tech that is available now. That’s what we’ve leaned in towards. Just really understanding how the pitches are moving, why they’re moving, what his body is doing to make those pitches move.
“Combined with what he learned in Atlanta — the game-skill component, understanding hitters, reading swings, understanding how to turn lineups over multiple times — he’s going as deep into the game as anybody right now. Just knowing how he’s going to navigate seven pitches three times through the lineup, sometimes four,” Blake added.
As shared by Rosenthal, via Eno Sarris of The Athletic, New York has helped the talented lefty unlock his full potential with his arsenal, creating historic performances in the process.
Fried throws seven pitches, and according to Stuff+, is mixing up the offerings as well as he has at any point in his career. His curveball and sinker are performing at career-high levels, making him all the more dangerous.
His breaking ball is being thrown harder and featuring more drop. A sweeper is being worked into the mix more often, not only being used exclusively against lefties but against right-handed batters as well.
An already successful pitcher, Fried has taken his game to another level with the Yankees, who have helped turn him into the best pitcher in baseball thus far this season.
They have to be thrilled with what has unfolded. He has stepped right into the role vacated by Gerrit Cole’s unfortunate injury and has thrived under the intense pressure of pitching in New York.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. Not only do they have a great front five, but there goes, potentially, eight pitchers deep with MLB talent. Unsurprisingly, with such a surplus of talent, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in their starters. Ranger Suarez, whose contract expires at the end of the year, would be a typical trade deadline candidate. But he's going nowhere. Instead, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are drawing trade interest in Phillies right-handed prospect Mick Abel. The 23-year-old starter could be a trade chip if the Phillies find a suitable trade target. "... Same goes for Mick Abel," Gelb writes, "who is drawing trade interest." The Phillies right-hander has impressed in his brief Major League stint, even if he now sits at a 5.04 ERA in six starts. His ceiling, which he displayed in his MLB debut, is enough to captivate teams around baseball. In the minors, Abel has been dominant this season. He has a 1.83 ERA in 12 starts in Triple-A, a significant improvement over his 6.46 ERA in 2024. Abel's progress this season has been incredible, and has teams interested in trading for him. If the Phillies find a trade partner for an outfielder or a dominant reliever, Abel could be a centerpiece of a deal to land such a player at the deadline. With the crowded rotation, Abel might not have a starting role on the roster for the rest of the season. He could go to the bullpen for the postseason run or be dealt to land a high-profile reliever or outfielder. But, regardless of what the Phillies do with Abel, this report from Gelb is a good sign. If teams around baseball are interested in Abel, then his progress isn't just a facade; it's something teams are willing to buy in on.
The Boston Celtics' priorities were already apparent before making the trades they did. Because they wanted to get under the NBA's second tax apron, the Celtics were willing to downgrade some of their players to get under it. That's why the Celtics traded Jrue Holiday for Anfernee Simons and Kristaps Porzingis for Georges Niang. It is a talent downgrade, but it helped Boston achieve their goals of getting under the second apron, even if those players aren't as good as Holiday or Porzingis. However, those trades only helped Boston get closer to being under the NBA's second tax apron, but it didn't get them under completely. Boston signed a few more players this offseason, including Luka Garza, Josh Minott, and Hugo Gonzalez. While these players are on inexpensive contracts, combined, they are enough to keep the Celtics above the NBA's second tax apron. That's why Boston isn't done making moves. Spotrac's Keith Smith revealed in an interview with a Boston Celtics executive that more trades will follow because they are still above the NBA's second tax apron. “Still figuring it all out. As you’ve noted, we’re still above the second apron. We won’t finish there," the Celtics exec told Smith. As far as how the Celtics will do that is anyone's guess. They may trade Anfernee Simons for someone who makes less than him. They may trade Niang's contract to a team that can absorb it via trade exception. They may even trade Sam Hauser or Payton Pritchard to do it. Regardless, more moves are coming for the Celtics.
On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
The Los Angeles Lakers brought in some toughness and defensive versatility with the addition of Marcus Smart. However, they're now going to have to play financial Jenga. As reported by Bryan Toporek of Silver Screen and Roll, they won't have a lot of money to make any more moves. "After waiving (Shake) Milton and (Jordan) Goodwin and signing Smart, the Lakers now sit $1.1 million below the first apron. Since they’re hard-capped, they cannot cross the first apron under any circumstance between now and June 30, 2026," Toporek wrote. As a result, the Lakers' best hope for help will come once the buyout market starts to take shape. "Since they’re only $1.1 million under the first apron, they currently don’t have enough room below the hard cap to sign anyone to even a veteran-minimum contract. They’d have to shed salary in a trade before they can make another free-agent signing," he added. That's not necessarily what LeBron James might want to hear. His agent, Rich Paul, claimed that he wanted to pursue another championship and that they would assess the team's roster to determine his future. This team got marginally better, but it still needs to add a defensive-minded big man, since JJ Redick didn't seem to trust Jaxson Hayes in the playoffs last season. The Western Conference is as stacked as it's ever been, and it will take more than what the Lakers have to keep up with other powerhouses. So, unless Rob Pelinka works his magic with another shocking trade, James will have to weigh all of his options.