The New York Yankees are focused on trying to re-sign outfielder Juan Soto. But there are other things general manager Brian Cashman needs to cross off his winter to-do list. It sounds like one of those items is landing an ace like Atlanta Braves hurler Max Fried.

Now that Blake Snell has signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Fried is the next-best southpaw available via free agency. A two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Fried has been a dependable ace for the Braves since becoming a full-time starter in 2019.

The lefty has posted a 71-31 record with a 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 797 strikeouts in his last 824 2/3 innings. Fried will also bring lots of postseason experience to whichever team he signs with. Although his playoff ERA is 5.10, he’s racked up 67 innings and was part of Atlanta’s World Series title run in 2021.

New York is officially in pursuit of the 30-year-old and initial signs are promising, according to Yankees play-by-play announcer and ESPN radio personality Michael Kay.

“The Yankees had a 90-minute Zoom call with Max Fried yesterday, and it supposedly went very well,” Kay said during Wednesday’s radio show. “Somebody who’s on the Fried side said that Max really, really liked them and apparently they’re going to have another meeting as well.”

Fried is expected to land a nine-figure deal on the open market. MLB Trade Rumors predicted he’ll sign a six-year, $156 million deal, but that could go up depending on how the starting rotation market develops. There should be plenty of suitors competing with the Yankees for his services. This includes the Boston Red Sox, which could set up another intriguing bidding war between bitter American League East rivals.