The New York Yankees started the Major League Baseball offseason on a sour note. They embroiled themselves in a bidding war with their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, for Juan Soto, whose price tag at the time seemed unlimited. But in the end, the Yankees lost out on the generational star who slugged 41 home runs with a .989 OPS, third best in MLB, propelling the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series in 15 years.
But Yankees longtime Senior Vice President and General Manager Brian Cashman quickly dusted himself off and got back to work, acquiring â through free agent signings and trades â ace lefty starter Max Fried, top closer Devin Williams, former National League MVP Cody Bellinger, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt who is another NL MVP winner, and numerous other, lesser-known but potentially important players.
Cashman has remade the Yankees’ roster without Soto, but there remains some work to be done. They still have not replaced departed free agent second baseman Gleyber Torres, and the third base position remains a serious point of weakness on the New York roster.
Yankees in a Holding Pattern Until They Dump Stroman
And yet, with about a week to go before spring training camp opens, the Yankees remain in a “holding pattern,” according to some reports, when it comes to addressing any further issues.
What’s keeping them there? One player, Or, more specifically, one player’s contract. That player is 33-year-old righthanded pitcher Marcus Stroman, and his contract is worth almost $37 million over the next two seasons.
“New York is bumping right up against the final luxury tax threshold, one that (owner) Hal Steinbrenner is clearly loath to cross. So if the Yankees are going to spend more money and add more talent this winter, they’re going to shed a bit of money first,” wrote Fansided baseball analyst Chris Landers in late January. “Stroman is the obvious answer.”
Stroman’s two-year, $37 million deal did not pan out as the Yankees had hoped. In his first year in New York, Stroman posted a solid start â his ERA for the month of May was 1.67 â but collapsed in the second half of the season. In September as the Yankees battled the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East pennant, Stroman lost all three of his starts and posted an ERA of 8.80, allowing 15 earned runs and 31 hits in 15 1/3 innings.
Not surprisingly, Stroman did not pitch in the postseason for the Yankees.
But he is owed $18.33 million in 2025 and, if he pitches at least 140 innings, will earn another year added to his contract at the same price, meaning the Yankees could have almost $37 million more invested in Stroman.
Shipping Stroman to Atlanta Benefits Both Teams
Shipping Stroman to the Atlanta Braves, an NL Wild Card team in 2024, would be a “win-win” deal, according to Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report.
“The starting rotation in Atlanta has an extremely high upside led by reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale. But between Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Strider â who won’t be ready for Opening Day as he returns from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow â it’s clear this isn’t going to be a team that gets through the regular season with five or six starters,” Kelly wrote on Tuesday.
The Bleacher Report analyst notes that Stroman performed significantly better away from Yankee Stadium in 2024 â a 3.09 ERA compared to 5.31 â indicating that a change of scenery could turn him into a quality starter again. The deal would strengthen the Braves rotation while allowing the Yankees to complete their offseason roster-restructure with Stroman’s salary off the books.
“If the Yankees get a fringe Major Leaguer or lower-level minor league piece with some upside back for Stroman, great,” Kelly wrote â adding that the salary relief a trade of Stroman would give them is the real “win” for the Yankees.
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