February 17, 2026

Max Fried delivered a strong first season with the New York Yankees in 2025. In a career-high 32 games started, Fried went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 17.2 K-BB% (with 189 career-high strikeouts over 51 walks) in 195 innings pitched. Fried's 2025 success was supported by his average EV of 87.2 (ranking in the top 8% of all MLB pitchers) and a GB% of 52.6 (ninth-best in MLB). The New York pitcher was named AL Pitcher of the Month twice, in April and September. In April, Fried posted a 5-0 record with a 1.19 ERA, while in September, he registered a 1.89 ERA with 35 strikeouts over 33 ⅓ innings and five starts. Fried will be the No. 1 pitching option again for New York as Gerrit Cole (elbow) and Carlos Rodon (knee) will both miss the start of the season. ATC Projections on RotoBaller forecast Fried to slightly regress with 169 strikeouts, a 3.34 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP in 178 total innings in his age 32 season. Last year, there was a 3.41 xFIP behind Fried's 2.86 ERA, and the BABIP was 13 points below his career norm. Fried is ranked at No. 19 among pitchers and 53rd overall at RotoBaller.com, which is a few spots earlier than his ADP (57). Despite a minor potential drop from last year's numbers, Fried remains a real-life pitching ace who can deliver favorable results as a No. 2 fantasy starter.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller