Max Fried did not expect the Yankees to be among his suitors.
The star lefty said he was “fairly surprised” when he learned the Yankees would be willing to enter the bidding war for his services in free agency.
“When the Yankees say they’re interested in you, you perk up and you listen,” Fried said Wednesday in his introductory press conference. “There’s a standard and it’s an extremely storied franchise. I was excited to hop on a call and be able to talk with the group up here.
“I just felt like a lot of values — what we value and the end goal was fairly similar and it was just very down to earth, easy to talk to and I felt comfortable. … when it came down to it, it just felt right.”
That feeling, plus a lefty record $218 million over eight years, landed Fried in the Bronx to be the co-ace alongside Gerrit Cole in a new-look Yankees rotation.
Fried joined the Yankees after a successful eight-year stretch with the Braves in which he went 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA, including two top-five finishes in the NL Cy Young race.
The 30-year-old said he felt a “sense of pride” putting on the pinstripes for the first time Wednesday.
“A lot of people have worn these pinstripes — even if there is a certain feel and I’m excited about being able to put the pinstripes on in Yankee Stadium for the Yankees,” Fried said. “It’s one of the most storied, winning franchises in sports and I want to do my part in adding to that.”
Fried’s addition marked the Yankees’ first acquisition after being spurned by Juan Soto, who joined the cross-town rival Mets for the largest contract in baseball history — a whopping 15-year, $765 million deal.
The Yankees have since acquired former Brewers closer Devin Williams and traded for Cubs first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger.
