Report: Athletics were ‘aggressive’ Fried suitor before Yankees deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Athletics have been aggressive in pursuing upgrades to the starting rotation this offseason.
After signing veteran right-handed pitcher Luis Severino to a franchise-record three-year, $67 million contract last week, the Athletics surprisingly were one of the “most aggressive” teams pursuing free-agent left-handed pitcher Max Fried before he agreed to a reported eight-year, $218 million contract with the New York Yankees on Tuesday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Wednesday.
Believe or not, one of the most aggressive teams in the Max Fried sweepstakes were the Athletics before he signed his 8-year, $218 million deal with the Yankees.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 11, 2024
It’s unclear if the Athletics formally offered Fried a contract, but if they did, it likely would have blown Severino’s current franchise record-breaking deal out of the water.
Fried made 29 starts for the Atlanta Braves throughout the 2024 MLB season, posting a 3.25 ERA in 174 1/3 innings pitched, with 166 strikeouts to 57 walks.
The Athletics notoriously are not a team that often pursues the very top free agents on the market, and their reported level of interest in Fried certainly comes as a surprise to many.
However, their reported efforts fell short, and now Fried joins an American League team in the Yankees, who will face off against the Athletics in six total games during the 2025 season.
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