The race to sign top pitcher Max Fried appears to be limited to three teams, all located in the American League East.

According to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required), the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are the top candidates to sign Fried, who is expected to make his decision by Thursday. Fried has reportedly already been offered a seven-year contract by one team, a source told MLB Network insider Jon Paul Morosi, and the Yankees are also willing to make a seven-year offer, according to Morosi.

MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch confirmed that the Yankees are “very interested” in Fried, adding that they view him as a potential No. 2 starter in a postseason rotation.

Fried, who turns 31 in January, has spent his entire career with the Braves, posting a 3.07 ERA with 863 strikeouts over 884 1/3 innings over parts of eight seasons. The left-hander has been particularly effective since 2020, posting a 2.81 ERA – the lowest in the MLB among pitchers with at least 500 innings over that span. In second place? Fellow free agent Corbin Burnes (2.88).

Unsurprisingly, there is some overlap in the markets for these two top pitchers. Rosenthal reports that Burnes is also drawing interest from the three AL East clubs mentioned above. The Giants have also been linked to Burnes, but they are not among the finalists for Fried. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Red Sox are reportedly among the clubs involved in trade talks for White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, who is widely expected to be traded this offseason.

Fried and Burnes declined qualifying offers from the Braves and Orioles, respectively, and are therefore tied to draft compensation if they sign elsewhere.