Marcus Stroman he entered the offseason as a trade sensation and became the most likely player to change hands when the Yankees signed him. Fried Max in an eight-year contract. Recent reports have surprisingly revealed that New York is indeed shopping Stroman, but Jon Heyman of the New York Post added some context, writing that the Yanks are willing to pay part of Stroman’s $18MM salary to help make the deal happen.
With Gerrit ColeFried, Carlos Rodon, Clark Schmidt and 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil in the rotation, Stroman is arguably their sixth best rotation arm at the moment. That’s not good for a player who is not only guaranteed $18MM this coming season but also carries a conditional player option for the 2026 campaign. If Stroman pitches 140 innings in 2025 — he averaged more than 150 innings in a 162-game season starting in 2019 — he’ll also pick up an $18MM player option in 2026. That creates more urgency for the Yankees to move him, as five names ahead of Stroman on the depth chart are signed/controlled beyond the 2025 season.
The Yankees have already traded one starter after signing Fried (Nestor Cortes), and are in the market for a second baseman or third baseman. They’re reportedly not working on the unlimited budget some might expect from “Evil Empire,” so shedding Stroman’s salary — or part of the deal — could give GM Brian Cashman some extra cash in his pursuit of internal help.
The Braves, O’s and Angels are just a few of the teams still looking for pitching help this offseason. Stroman may be New York’s fifth or sixth starter right now, but that’s not the case for other potential relievers. Stroman is coming off a respectable 4.31 ERA in 154 2/3 innings in his first (and possibly only) season with the Yankees. He was hit hard by lefties, especially, who didn’t play well with Yankee Stadium’s short right field deck; Stroman logged a 5.31 ERA at home compared to a 3.09 mark on the road. A team with a more favorable field of pitchers might consider him a good bet to provide average or better innings at a low strikeout rate. And in the market where he is 37 years old Alex Cobb and 41 years old Charlie Morton they command salaries of $15MM in one-year deals – Cobb after a season in which he made only three starts – Stroman’s salary is not exactly large.
The Yankees’ willingness to pay some of Stroman’s salary also naturally indicates a willingness to take on a contract of some note in return. That creates a number of possible frameworks; New York has some interest in Luis Arraez, for example. He has more trade value than Stroman, but comparable salaries could make the financial part easier to work out if the Yankees are willing to add the right pieces. On the other hand, the Reds would probably welcome the opportunity to spend the $15MM they are owed Jeimer Candelario for the next two seasons. The Tigers can’t like the $10MM they still owe Kenta Maedaand has more experience working in the ‘pen than Stroman. Those are purely speculative scenarios, to be clear, but they are creative scenarios that Cashman and his team can explore when trying to find Stroman’s fit.
As things stand, Stroman feels like one of the players most likely to change hands between now and Opening Day. He’s an expensive veteran with no clear job at his current club but still works well and isn’t too expensive considering the rest of the market. His current club has other obvious needs and a certain level of financial goals to work out.
The Yankees are currently in a $303MM luxury tax liability, per RosterResource. Any subsequent additions to the payroll will come with a 110% tax. Shedding Stroman’s deal would put them under the fourth (and highest) cap, which sits at $301MM. The third penalty tier (from $281-301MM) comes with a slightly lower tax rate of 95%. In fact, every dollar they save on Stroman’s contract will be about $1.95 saved. That creates an additional benefit of finding equity in the stock market.
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