Minus Cy Young sidekick, Yankees LHP Max Fried embraces pressure of pinstripes

Plans for a pair of aces are on hold with Gerrit Cole out for the 2025 season before it began, pushing Max Fried to the front of the New York Yankees' rotation.

Fried, 31, has known Cole since they met on a recruiting visit to UCLA and recently signed as a free agent to team up with the right-hander in pinstripes. Cole underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Tuesday, shining more of the spotlight on Fried.

"At the end of the day, no one is Gerrit Cole, right?" Fried said. "I've got to take the ball every time that I take the ball. It doesn't matter if he was on the mound or not. Realistically, it's just about doing my job. It's going out there and making sure that, when I take the ball, we have a really good chance to win that day."

Fried signed a $218 million contract with the Yankees in hopes of being at the front of the rotation for the next eight years after posting a record of 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA in 168 games -- 151 starts -- over eight seasons with the Braves.

Cole is projected to return to the Yankees next March, but he might not be cleared to pitch competitively for 18 months.

"From the time I first dreamed of wearing the Yankees uniform, my goal has always been to help bring a World Series championship to New York," Cole said in an Instagram post. "That dream hasn't changed - I still believe in it, and I'm more determined than ever to achieve it."

Minus Cole, it's expected Fried will become the No. 1 starter, beginning with Opening Day, March 27 against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium.

"The way I try to see it is, it's one of, hopefully, 33 starts," Fried said.

--Field Level Media