DALLAS – The New York Yankees would never just turn around and cry.

Less than 48 hours after losing the Juan Soto sweepstakes, New York began implementing Plan B. Step one of The Great Bronx Pivot is an eight-year, $218 million contract with former Atlanta Braves southpaw Max Fried. The deal is the fourth-largest ever for a starting pitcher and the largest in MLB history for a left-handed hitter.

Fried, who turns 31 in January, has the lowest ERA in baseball since the start of 2020. Less reliant on strikeouts than other frontline hurlers, the two-time All-Star has mastered two other very valuable skills: avoiding hard contact and producing a parade of groundouts. This, combined with his track record of pinpoint control, means Fried has a uniquely high success rate.

Fried was originally drafted seventh overall by the San Diego Padres out of a Los Angeles-area high school in 2012 and was traded to Atlanta in 2014 as part of Justin Upton’s return. In eight seasons with the Braves, the faker established himself as one of the most reliable starters in the game. He ends his tenure in Atlanta with a sparkling 3.07 ERA in 884 1/3 innings.

However, his playoff track record is a bit more shaky, especially as of late. A legendarily gutsy performance that won the 2021 World Series in Game 6 will forever be remembered by Braves Country, but Fried’s career postseason ERA of 4.90 across 12 starts is not unambiguous dominance. Whether these struggles are just small plays or a significant issue will certainly be seen in the October pressure cooker of Yankee Stadium.

For the Yankees, the addition of the lanky, accomplished left-hander represents a quick and significant change. Signing Fried won’t single-handedly erase the devastating disappointment of losing Soto, but it’s a good start. Trying to replace Soto’s value overall by reallocating those funds among a handful of players was always the most sensible path forward.

But Fried’s entry into New York’s crowded rotation also means another move is inevitable. Before signing Fried, the Yankees already employed six other starting pitchers: Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Marcus Stroman. It’s almost a foregone conclusion that one of this sextet will be wearing a different uniform and rocking facial hair at spring training.

Cole, the ace of the team, isn’t going anywhere, and Rodón’s contract is too big to move him. Gil and Schmidt are both young, cheap and under the team’s control. That makes them valuable to the Yankees… and any potential trade partner. Cortes, who the Yankees nearly cut at the last trade deadline, and Stroman are less desirable. The duo struggled for much of 2024 and spent September alternating between playing in the rotation and bullpen. Cortes or Stroman is more about creating space and eating up dead money than adding a valuable player.

And the Yankees, especially on offense, are in desperate need of valuable players.

The addition of Fried increases New York’s floor, but Soto’s departure left a huge hole in a lineup that already resembled a piece of Swiss cheese. Instead of wallowing in their misery, the Yankees have begun to move forward and the next step will be to address their lineup.

Assuming Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jason Domínguez will all be in the Yankees’ Opening Day lineup in 2025, the Yankees will likely need three more hitters this offseason. These would likely occur at first base, third base and the outfield. While Chisholm was excellent at third for the Yankees after being acquired by the Marlins in July, the Yankees would be better off moving him back to second, where he was an above-average defender.

When it comes to what to do in the outfield, the Yankees have some potential areas for improvement. One of those could be trading for Cubs center fielder and first baseman Cody Bellinger. Bellinger, 29, has bounced back in his first two seasons in Chicago. And while he took a step back offensively in 2024, some of his issues have come from playing through injuries. His offensive profile is a perfect fit for Yankee Stadium and could use some improvement there. He was able to easily slide into midfield, allowing Judge to move back to the right. Bellinger is owed $25 million in 2025, with a $25 million player option for 2026 that includes a $5 million buyout. It also doesn’t hurt that his father, Clay, won a World Series in the Bronx.

Another option in the outfield could be signing free agent Teoscar Hernández. Hernández, who has the most interest from the Dodgers and Red Sox, had one of the best seasons of his career en route to a World Series win in LA this fall.

The other big name that would make sense for New York is Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado. St. Louis has been actively shopping the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, but with a full no-trade clause in place, Arenado will ultimately be the one to decide where he wants to go. However, it is believed that the reigning AL champion would grant Arenado’s wish to play for a contender. Arenado is owed $52 million over the next three seasons, and should the Yankees eat up some of that money, they likely wouldn’t have to give up much potential capital to fill her vacancy at third.

After all, first base was arguably the Yankees’ biggest hole last season, and adding a power hitter like Christian Walker would certainly address that deficiency. Not only does Walker have tremendous power, hitting 105 home runs since 2021, but he could also be the best defensive first baseman in the sport, which would improve a porous Yankees defense. A cheaper option with similar traits would be Carlos Santana, who still has a good shot on the left side and just won his first Gold Glove Award at age 38.

Overall, there is no replacement for Juan Soto – that goes without saying. But it would also have been a big mistake not to improve further after his departure. With Cole and Fried, the Yankees now have strength at the top of their rotation as well as the rotation depth they previously lacked. If they can continue to address their needs over the course of the winter, the path is clear for the Yankees to be a better team in 2025, even without Soto.