The New York Yankees have been active in free agency and the trade market since watching outfielder Juan Soto bolt to Queens. But one thing general manager Brian Cashman hasn’t been able to do is trade starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and his 2025 salary to another team.
Could the Atlanta Braves be a realistic landing spot for the veteran hurler? Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly thinks the Bombers and Atlanta syncing up for a trade would be a win for both sides.
“The starting rotation in Atlanta has an extremely high upside led by reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale,” Kelly wrote. “But between Sale, Reynaldo López and Spencer Strider—who won’t be ready for Opening Day as he returns from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow—it’s clear this isn’t going to be a team that gets through the regular season with five or six starters.
“Stroman certainly isn’t an ironman, either, but there’s a high ceiling with the two-time All-Star. There’s evidence that if you get him away from Yankee Stadium, he will rebound, as he had a 3.09 road ERA last season, as opposed to 5.31 at home.”
Although the right-hander tossed 154 2/3 innings and posted a 4.31 ERA for the Yankees in the regular season, he didn’t appear at all during New York’s run to the World Series.
Kelly noted that while it’d be great for the Yankees to get a fringe MLB player or a lower-level minor leaguer with upside, that’s not the main goal. The most important thing for Cashman would be shedding Stroman’s salary.
He’s entering the second season of a two-year, $37 million contract that will pay him $18 million in 2025.
