Trade Pitch Has Yankees Dealing Stroman & Rice to Rival for Torres Replacement

Getty

Trade pitch has Yankees dealing Marcus Stroman to Blue Jays.

The New York Yankees have a need at second base after Gleyber Torres signed with the Detroit Tigers in free agency.

With the Yankees still not addressing their infield hole, MLB insider Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report proposed a deal that would see the Yankees acquiring Davis Schneider from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Yankees acquire:

• Davis Schneider

Blue Jays acquire:

• Marcus Stroman
• Ben Rice
• Cash

The proposed deal would be interesting as Toronto would reunite with Stroman while also getting a bench bat and cash for Schneider who doesn’t have a definitive role with the team in 2025.

Schneider is a fan-favorite for the Blue Jays, but he struggled in 2024 after a stellar 2023. In 2024, Schneider hit .191 with 13 home runs and 46 RBIs and became a bench bat. Entering 2025, he doesn’t have a clear path to playing time, so with the Yankees, he could start at second base and also add insurance in left field.

The big part of the return from the Yankees to Toronto would be Stroman. The Blue Jays have a need at starting pitching and Stroman can be the team’s fifth starter. Stroman has one year left on his two-year $37 million deal. He went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 29 starts but was left off the playoff roster and is likely to be dealt.

Rice, meanwhile, was supposed to be the replacement for Anthony Rizzo for the Yankees at first base. However, he has struggled to hit in the majors, and after New York signed Paul Goldschmidt, Rymer believes the Yankees will move on from him.

Insider Makes Case for Yankees’ Side

The proposed deal from Rymer does make sense for both sides, as the Yankees move on from Stroman for an infielder. Toronto, meanwhile, trades from an area of depth for a starter and a bench bat.

Rymer, meanwhile, explained why the deal makes sense for the Yankees to make a deal with their division rival.

“Whereas Schneider is looking up at Andrés Giménez in Toronto, there would be a starting role for him at second base in New York,” Ryer wrote. “If this sounds underwhelming, well, that is fair. The league didn’t see Schneider coming when he debuted with a 1.008 OPS in 35 games in 2023, but he fell back to earth with a meager .625 OPS in 2024. He’s also fanned in 31.4 percent of his MLB plate appearances.

“There is still potential here, though. Schneider has a strong eye and a swing that produces tons of balls in the air. Only two hitters had a lower ground-ball rate last season. For his part, Rice is redundant as long as he’s looking up at Paul Goldschmidt and Austin Wells,” Rymer added.

Rymer, meanwhile, also believes it’s a good low-cost move for the Blue Jays to fill two areas of need.

“Reuniting with Stroman, who was with Toronto between 2014 and 2019, wouldn’t quite make up for that whiff. But this would be another case of improvement in the aggregate, as a rotation with Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Bowden Francis could do damage,” Rymer added. “Rice, meanwhile, would join Will Wagner as candidates to DH in 2025 and potentially take over for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in 2026.”

New York Likely to Trade Stroman

The Yankees are looking to trade Stroman as New York has an excess of starting pitching.

MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided reported on his podcast that the team is looking to trade Stroman and clear his cap hit.

“I also would imagine a Marcus Stroman trade would appear more likely than not,” Murray said on The Baseball Insiders.

The Yankees signed Max Fried to bolster its rotation this offseason. New York’s starting five projects to be Gerrit Cole, Fried, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil.