While the New York Yankees are focused on signing superstar free agent Juan Soto, it doesn’t mean they aren’t multitasking to fill other holes on the roster.
According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman the Yankees had Zoom meetings with the two top pitching free agents this week.
“The Yankees recently staged calls with star free agent starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, along with several other top available players, but remain almost solely focused on Soto and have not made offers to the pitchers, who might merely be part of the Yankees’ Plan B in case Soto goes to the Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox, Blue Jays or perhaps an unknown mystery team,” Heyman wrote.
The Yankees also had a Zoom meeting with Blake Snell, just hours before he signed a $182 million deal with the Dodgers.
Burnes and Fried are both 30 years old, two years younger than Snell, and expected to sign bigger contracts. Burnes is coming off a 15-9 season with the Baltimore Orioles, pitching to a 2.92 ERA. He struck out 181 in 194 innings pitched. Fried went 11-10 for the Braves last season with a 3.25 ERA.
The Yankees head into 2025 with a roster of six starters, but after injuries shelved both Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt last season, they are looking for a front-of-the-rotation arm for depth.
With Carlos Rodon, Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, and Marcus Stroman also returning next season, the Yankees could use another consistent starter.