The New York Yankees didn’t waste time after being snubbed by a certain superstar outfielder and got a big offseason pickup of their own on Tuesday, signing former Atlanta Braves pitcher Max Fried to a massive deal.
Fried agreed to an eight-year, $218 million contract, the largest guarantee for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history.
Yankees fans were understandably elated about the signing this week. Many of them started digging into Fried’s past and unearthed a 2014 tweet in which the then-Braves lefty paid his respects to Yankees legend Derek Jeter after Jeter decided to hang up his cleats.
“When it's meant to be. It's meant to be #RE2PECT,” Fried wrote on X.
When it's meant to be. It's meant to be #RE2PECT
— Max Fried (@MaxFried32) September 26, 2014
Fans had a feeling Fried was going to be a great fit for the team:
It was meant to be. https://t.co/NiJdUK5uYP
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) December 10, 2024
#RE2PECT https://t.co/AF60GT8Fgv
— Jimmy Randazzo (@JimmyRandazzo) December 10, 2024
https://t.co/PA8cOKz4ZF pic.twitter.com/we0LeHjYUv
— Chuck (@washedupchuck) December 10, 2024
Welcome to the Bronx https://t.co/KiLWk3eih5
— 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐄 (@FrankiesTwoLoud) December 10, 2024
someone who WANTS to be a Yankee https://t.co/qE2FC9MoUA
— lex 🦋✨💖 (@thatrangersgirl) December 10, 2024
It was meant to be https://t.co/QqNyktzh8w
— Matt ⚾️ (@yankeesguy93) December 11, 2024
Fried, 30, is a two-time All-Star who recorded a 3.25 ERA in Atlanta this past season and owns a 3.07 ERA across his eight-year MLB career. He’ll slide in nicely behind ace Gerrit Cole in the Yankees’ starting rotation and potentially help the defending AL champions make another deep postseason push.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Max Fried’s Decade-Old Tweet About Derek Jeter Resurfaces After Yankees Deal.
