Aaron Judge reveals challenges of facing Max Fried before ace pitcher's $218,000,000 Yankees move 

New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge bared to the media the hurdles he encountered when he faced Max Fried before the latter's recent move to the Bronx. After eight productive seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Fried is now set to flaunt his talents in the Big Apple after agreeing to an eight-year, $218 million deal with the Bronx Bombers — the richest contract for a lefty in MLB history.

Judge further solidified his claim by praising Fried's command and pitching repertoire. Per Baseball Savant, Fried threw a total of seven different pitches throughout the course of the 2024 season. His pitching package includes his often-used four-seamer, curveball, sinker and changeup — along with occasional sweepers, sliders and cutters.

"He's got 5 or 6 different pitches, he's got great command of all of them," Judge said via SNYYankees on Monday. "He can run up to 95, 96, 97 on you. He's a guy that's determined, he's not going to back down.

"You've seen him pitch in plenty of big games, especially during [the Braves'] World Series run. He's a competitor and he knows his stuff.

"He can get you out on one pitch but he has five or six of them. He certainly knows what he's doing," he added.

Aaron Judge faced the press after the team's latest training session at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida. Judge's claims about Fried's dominance over him and the Yankees are certainly warranted.

In three career games against the Bronx Bombers, Max Fried has three wins to his name along with a 2.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts. As per facing the Yankee captain, Fried has only surrendered three base hits against Judge in nine at-bats with three strikeouts.

Aaron Judge claims Yankees are hungrier this year

After an unenviable collapse in the World Series, captain Aaron Judge said that the team is hungrier than ever to bounce back and this time, win it all in 2025.

"Getting to the dance and then losing out on it is definitely a lot worse than not even getting in so guys are motivated, guys are ready to go," Judge said.

With their division counterparts, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, retooling their ranks, and World Series adversary LA Dodgers acquiring some of the best talent in the free agency market, an uphill battle beckons for the Yankees as they attempt to win their first championship crown since 2009.