Red Sox signing Ranger Suarez confirms Yankees stealing Max Fried was for nothing

When the New York Yankees signed Max Fried to a record-setting contract in December of 2024, fans were thrilled. In fairness, they still are. Max Fried is very good and a joy to watch. But somehow, the Boston Red Sox, who the Yankees ended up stealing Fried from, have ended up benefitting greatly despite the loss at the time.

On Wednesday, the Sox signed left-hander Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract just days after Alex Bregman left them hanging and went to the Chicago Cubs. Why is this relevant? Because instead of paying Fried $218 million over a ridiculous eight years, the Sox found a way to be better and more cost effective.

In regard to Suarez, he's arguably better than Carlos Rodón at this point and is earning less, both on the life of the contract ($32 million fewer) and from an AAV standpoint ($26 million, which is almost $2 million fewer).

And then there's the even bigger talking point regarding Garrett Crochet. That was the Sox's direct response to the Fried signing last offseason. Sure, they traded top prospects Kyle Teel, Braden Montgomery, Chase Meidroth and Wikelman Gonzalez, but that was because they had such a great surplus in their farm system and hardly felt a thing when they parted with that group.

Within months, the Sox signed Crochet to a six-year, $170 million extension. It did seem a bit of a risk since he only had one full season as a starter under his belt, but it could end up being one of the best value deals out there when all is said and done. Crochet was the AL Cy Young runner up in 2025 to Tarik Skubal (a generational talent) and is signed through his age-26 to age-30 seasons (essentially his entire prime).

Meanwhile, the Yankees signed both Fried and Rodón to deals that take them far past their prime, representing future sunk costs. Fried got an eight-year contract heading into his age-31 season. Rodón got a six-year contract heading into his age-30 season. Crochet got his seven-year contract entering his age-26 season and Suarez just got his five-year contract heading into his age-30 season. While Suarez's might not seem that significant given the similar timeline as Rodón's, the caveat is that Suarez only recently came into his own as a star pitcher. Though Rodón had a similar path, there were warning signs of his injury issues and volatility — both of which have been magnified in the worst ways since he arrived in the Bronx.

So, in summation, the Yankees made two investments in Fried and Rodón that totaled $380 million. The Red Sox made two investments in Crochet and Suarez that totaled $300 million. The jury's still out given all of these contracts have plenty of life remaining, but the early returns on Crochet suggest he'll be far superior to Fried and Rodón. As for Suarez, he's yet to put on a Red Sox uniform, but the lefty has a 1.48 ERA across 11 postseason games with the Phillies. Fried? 5.31 ERA. Rodón? 7.53 ERA.

The optics are once again unfavorable, and it should further put a spotlight on the front office's spending habits, which continue to be among the worst in the league. Just think about where this team would be if Aaron Judge didn't settle for $360 million.