Yankees shopping two-time All-Star starting pitcher

The Yankees’ eight-year deal for Max Fried gave them one of the deepest collections of major league starting pitching in the sport. Fried joined Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Marcus Stroman and the since-traded Nestor Cortes in a long line of Yankee rotation options. While the trade of Cortes to the Brewers loosened that logjam (and significantly bolstered the bullpen, bringing Devin Williams in from Milwaukee), the Yankees still have six big-league starters, most of whom are earning significant salaries. With that in mind, it’s not exactly surprising to see Bob Nightengale of USA Today report that New York is “actively trying to deal” Stroman.

Since the Fried signing, Stroman’s name has already popped up in trade rumblings. The Yankees pitched a Stroman-for-Nolan Arenado framework to the Cardinals, which St. Louis rebuffed. (Arenado has a no-trade clause, but the scenario was reportedly not even presented to the third baseman, as the Cardinals weren’t interested.) Given those efforts, it’s only natural that the Yankees have also explored other possibilities.

Stroman, 34 in May, is entering the second season of a two-year, $37M contract. He pitched decently during year one of the pact, logging a 4.31 ERA in 154 2/3 innings, but his strikeout rate (16.7%) and ground-ball rate (49.2%) were a far cry from his typical standards. Stroman punched out 21% of opponents from 2019-23 and kept the ball on the ground at a robust 53.2% clip over that same span. Similarly, the velocity on his sinker dipped quite a bit; from 2019-23, Stroman averaged 92 mph on the pitch (91.4 mph in ’23). In 2024, he averaged just 90 mph on that sinker.

Left-handed hitters, in particular, proved problematic for Stroman. They tagged him for a .296/.372/.474 batting line. He fanned 14.3% of lefties, compared to 19% of fellow righties. With Stroman playing half his games at Yankee Stadium, lefties took full advantage of the short right-field porch. He surrendered 15 of his 19 home runs at Yankee Stadium in 2024 and pitched to a grisly 5.31 ERA at home. On the flipside, he sported a tidy 3.09 ERA on the road.

That road production and a generally successful track record should create at least some interest in Stroman elsewhere around the league, though perhaps not at the full freight of his $18.5M salary this coming season. Trade discussions are undoubtedly complicated by the fact that the highly durable Stroman also has a vesting player option on his contract. With 140 innings pitched in 2025, he’d gain a player option for $18M. Were that a club option, it wouldn’t be quite so problematic; that it’s a player option means that even if Stroman struggles or incurs a late-season injury, he’d be able to lock in that $18M payday in 2026. Stroman has averaged 159 innings across the past five full seasons in which he’s pitched.

That player option presumably makes it more urgent for the Yankees to find a deal. They already have Cole, Fried, and Rodon locked in for a combined $85M in 2026 (including Fried’s slightly deferred signing bonus, which is paid half in 2025 and half in 2026). Schmidt will be in his third trip through arbitration as a Super Two player, while Gil will be in his first arbitration season in 2026. In total, this could mean a rotation earning a combined $100M.

Stroman is arguably the sixth-best starter in that group of six, and paying him $18M in 2025 and potentially again in 2026 understandably may not be a palatable course of action for the Yanks. That’s especially true when considering the team’s luxury tax status; they’re currently in the top penalty bracket for luxury status. Moving Stroman would trim more than $35M in 2025 spending. The Yankees will be on the hook for 50-110% penalties on their luxury overages in 2026, depending on where the exact payroll ultimately lands. Again, that could mean savings of $27-37M, depending on whether his player option comes into play.

While the player option pauses other teams, Stroman’s contract isn’t necessarily all that far underwater. The offseason has already seen 37-year-old Alex Cobb and 41-year-old Charlie Morton command $15M one-year deals — Cobb’s coming after he made only three starts in 2024. Frankie Montas landed two years and $34M with an opt-out upon signing with the Mets. The price for starting pitching has generally exceeded all expectations. Even with the conditional player option, Stroman at a year and $18M isn’t necessarily egregious. If Stroman hits the 140 innings and pitches more like his 2021-23 self (3.45 ERA in 454 1/3 innings), he could well turn down the option and reenter free agency anyhow.

The Yankees aren’t likely to extract any notable young talent in return for Stroman. However, swapping him out for another veteran on a contract of some note or eating a portion of the contract and acquiring some longshot prospect help could still be feasible. There are still five weeks until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, and the market in recent offseasons has produced plenty of notable trades even after camps open. There should still be time for a deal to come together.