The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have had many battles over the course of their rivalry, including in the offseason.
After the 2024 season, both teams looked to upgrade their rotations and ended up acquiring top-of-the-rotation lefties. For the Yankees, it meant signing Max Fried, and for the Red Sox, it meant trading for Garrett Crochet.
In their first seasons with their new teams, Fried and Crochet excelled, both cementing their place as aces in two of the biggest markets in sports. Specifically, though, Fried's free agency decision ultimately shaped the future of the New York-Boston rivalry.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Here's a look at how Fried's free agency influenced the 2025 season.
Revisiting Max Fried free agency
Fried was coming off a successful eight-year stint with the Atlanta Braves, which included a World Series title in 2021. He hit free agency at age 30, and had produced an ERA under 4.00 in all but one of his years in the majors, including ERAs under 3.00 four times.
After losing out on Juan Soto to the New York Mets, the Yankees quickly pivoted to the pitching market with Fried as the top guy. However, they reportedly had to compete with the Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers for his services.
Boston specifically went after Fried hard, with Lucas Giolito trying to recruit his former high school teammate to join him. The Red Sox were looking to add an ace-level pitcher to their pitching staff as they sought to return to the playoffs.
However, Fried decided to sign with the Yankees over the Red Sox and others when New York offered him the largest deal for a lefty pitcher in MLB history, along with selling him on helping him improve as a pitcher.
"Everyone that I talked to was really great," Fried said about the Yankees, via Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "At the end of the day, I don't know if I could really put my finger on it. It was just more of a gut feeling. I felt like this is the right place for me."
MORE: Ranking 22 best players in 2025 MLB playoffs
Max Fried contract details
- Years: 8
- Total value: $218 million
- Average annual value: $27.25 million
Fried's eight-year, $218 million deal is the largest ever for a left-handed pitcher, beating out the $217 million deal that David Price signed with the Red Sox in 2015.
MORE: Most home runs in a single MLB season
Garrett Crochet trade details
- Red Sox receive: Garrett Crochet
- White Sox receive: C Kyle Teel, IF Chase Meidroth, OF Braden Montgomery, RHP Wikelman Gonzalez
After Fried signed with the Yankees, the Red Sox immediately pivoted to trading for Garrett Crochet, Boston sent the Chicago White Sox four prospects to acquire the young ace, before signing him to an extension in March.
Teel and Meidroth both made their major league debuts with the White Sox this year and are expected to be key parts of Chicago's rebuild. Montgomery is currently the No. 1 prospect in the White Sox organization as he works his way through the minor leagues.
MORE: Complete Red Sox-Yankees postseason history
Garrett Crochet vs. Max Fried 2025 stats
| Max Fried | Garrett Crochet | |
| Record | 19-5 | 18-5 |
| ERA | 2.86 | 2.59 |
| Games | 32 | 32 |
| Innings | 195.1 | 205.1 |
| Hits | 164 | 165 |
| Strikeouts | 189 | 255 |
| WHIP | 1.10 | 1.03 |
| FIP | 3.07 | 2.89 |
While both players were tremendous in 2025, Crochet's season is a tick better as he led the AL in innings and all of baseball in strikeouts. Fried, however, was the only pitcher in either league to reach 19 wins.
Regardless, both players performed like aces, which New York and Boston needed to get back to the playoffs. Fried is more of a ground ball pitcher, while Crochet relies on his power to strike players out, creating two different pitching styles.
MORE: The list of most home runs ever hit before the MLB All-Star break
Crochet mainly uses four pitches, while Fried mixes and matches with as many as eight pitches during a given day. Both pitchers are efficient innings-eaters and effective against both lefties and righties.