Yankees ace Max Fried pumps brakes on expectations in 2025 with Gerrit Cole sidelined

Max Fried joined the New York Yankees excited about pitching alongside Gerrit Cole. That won't happen until at least some time in 2026, as Cole's season is over. He's going to undergo Tommy John surgery this week.

Cole's absence leaves a gaping hole in what was once a very star-studded rotation. Fried, after signing an eight-year, $218 million deal, will be the headliner by default.

Fried wants to remind everyone that he's not the 2023 AL Cy Young winner, and that anyone expecting him to be that should temper their expectations. Via MLB.com, he said:

“At the end of the day, no one is Gerrit Cole, right? I’ve got to take the ball every time that I take the ball. It doesn’t matter if he was on the mound or not. Realistically, it’s just about doing my job. It’s going out there and making sure that, when I take the ball, we have a really good chance to win that day.”

The first-year Yankees starter said he just needs to be himself, and he can't worry about filling anyone's shoes, let alone Cole's sizeable ones. Fried wants to stay true to himself to be successful and fears failure if he tries to be someone he's not.

With Cole out and Luis Gil also sidelined for the time being, the options for Opening Day are slim. Fried is expected to get the nod but has not been formally approached. He said the opportunity would be nice, though.

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Max Fried admits bad feelings after Gerrit Cole injury

Max Fried first met Gerrit Cole on a recruiting trip to UCLA. They would both go on to become among the best pitchers of their eras and then eventually teammates. Unfortunately, they won't be sharing a rotation in 2025.

Max Fried will lead the Yankees (Getty)

Fried lamented the loss of his brand-new teammate, via MLB.com:

“With Gerrit, I really feel for him. It stinks. He’s a competitor and he wants to be out there. He definitely didn’t take this decision lightly. I was really excited to be able to share a dugout and be able to play with him. That will just be delayed a little bit.”

Fried will lead a rotation with Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman. The Yankees don't yet have a fifth starter named in Gil's absence.