The New York Yankees seem to be in a bittersweet position with regard to starting pitching.
The team has more starters than they need, with six of them on their depth chart. This could be good for the team, and bad for Marcus Stroman.
The veteran starter Stroman had completed his first full season with the Yankees in 2024. it was the first of two years on his contract with the club, where he’s set to make a total of $37 million. Thankfully this contract was short-term, as the Yankees may be having second thoughts about Stroman.
Stroman fought to become a Yankee ever since he was on his way out of Toronto. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and the front office had considered adding Stroman years ago but didn’t see him as a dealbreaker.
Certain comments from Cashman and Stroman led to bad blood between the two parties. A well-paid contract seemed to fix that. However, the product the club received wasn’t exactly what they were looking for. Despite Stroman’s phenomenal pitching profile and ability, his first season was not completely satisfactory, and he did not crack the postseason rotation. Where do the Yankees and Stroman go from here?
Marcus Stroman is Valuable Collateral in a Possible Trade Scenario
Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Max Fried, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt. This is the Yankees tentative starting rotation. Gil was a subject of trade talks earlier in the offseason, but that does not seem to be the case anymore.
Stroman is the new possible trade piece the Yankees will most likely move. It has not been the easiest move and probably won’t be a smooth process. According to Sports Illustrated, the Yankees recently offered up Stroman to the St. Louis Cardinals.
In pursuit of third baseman Nolan Arenado, the Yankees allegedly offered to send the right-handed starter to the Cards. St. Louis apparently had no interest in him, although they wanted to offload Arenado to spark their rebuilding process.
Recently, there have been talks about the Yankees possibly dealing Stroman back to his original major league home of Toronto. The starting pitcher began his career with the Blue Jays, winning a division title, and going on back-to-back runs to the American League Championship Serie.
The Blue Jays are willing to spend money and are looking to capitalize on their eventual offseason transactions, as they’ve done very little so far.
What could the Yankees pull from this? Possibly a few prospects. Maybe third baseman Addison Barger? Or even a few lottery picks and top 30-ranked prospects.
This trade would dump the remaining $18 million of Stroman’s contract onto the Blue Jays’ plate, freeing the Yankees of financial obligation.
Realistically, Stroman can draw some serious talent back to the Bronx, in a trade. Contending teams such as the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox are also looking to add depth to their pitching staff.
One Alternative: Keep Stroman and Use Him in Relief
Although he wasn’t what they wanted him to be, the Yankees could add Marcus Stroman to their bullpen. This may not be what he wants, but he may appreciate a role in relief rather than moving around the league again.
The club assigned Stroman to the bullpen late last season and originally did not include him on the American League Division Series roster. This was because they had enough starters and didn’t see a fit for him anywhere else on the staff. He was then added to the roster for the ALCS.
Cardinals Reportedly Declined Offer Of Marcus Stroman For Nolan Arenado https://t.co/ddRbLtWuGs pic.twitter.com/IkDoWJHKxc
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) December 21, 2024
If placed in the bullpen, Stroman could serve in long relief or in a bullpen day pitching structure. He’s usually able to give three to four innings of clean work until he runs into trouble. Stroman went 10-9 in 2024, starting 29 games, and worked 154 2/3 innings with 113 strikeouts and 60 walks.
His repertoire of various pitch options along with a diverse pitch profile would make him valuable in relief appearances. In fact, he may fare well in a setup man role.
However, $18 million for a year to hide a starter in the bullpen may not be worth it, especially if the team could benefit long-term in a trade with a high return.
