Max Fried Earns A- Grade for New York Yankees Before Elbow Surgery

New York Yankees southpaw Max Fried earned an A- grade for his 2026 season despite being limited to 20 starts (112.2 IP) prior to undergoing offseason elbow surgery. Fried logged a 2.80 ERA, 2.65 FIP, 3.5 fWAR, and 150 ERA+, holding opponents to one run or fewer in 12 starts. Entering year three of his eight-year, $218 million deal, Fried ranked in the 99th percentile in barrel percentage.