Another day, another rumored Boston Red Sox free agent target off the board.
Left-handed ace Max Fried and the New York Yankees have agreed on an eight-year contract worth $218 million, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. It is the largest guaranteed deal for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history.
Boston had been linked to Fried in recent weeks. The former Atlanta Braves southpaw joins the Red Sox' archrival one day after they lost the Juan Soto sweepstakes to the New York Mets.
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Fried, who turns 31 in January, boasts the best ERA in baseball over the last five seasons. The two-time All-Star had a 3.25 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 166 strikeouts over 174 1/3 innings (29 starts) last season with Atlanta.
With Fried off the board, the Red Sox are running out of aces to target on the free-agent market. Former Cy Young award winner Corbin Burnes is still available, but Boston will have to seriously reevaluate its approach if it hopes to outbid big-market teams for his services.
As of Tuesday, the Red Sox' only noteworthy offseason move is the signing of veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman to a one-year contract.
