TAMPA — Max Fried knows who he is and who he is not. He might have gained a title of “ace,” but his identity remains the same. “I have to be Max Fried,” the lefty said Tuesday morning.

And the team’s biggest addition, a $218 million deal for veteran southpaw Max Fried, now seems like its savviest move with franchise ace Gerrit Cole missing the 2025 campaign after undergoing ...