Yankees Predicted to Cut Ties With $18 Million Starter

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The New York Yankees have a few free agents who might not return to the team in 2025. They could also trade some of their players under contract in 2025,  including right-hander Marcus Stroman.

Stroman got the short end of the stick in the postseason. While he wasn’t lights-out throughout the campaign, he could’ve been used in the postseason at times. Instead, the Yankees went with other options on the roster. He’s set to make $18.3 million in the next campaign, which could give the Yankees some flexibility if they traded him.

Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media pitched the idea of moving Stroman to help the Yankees find upgrades in other areas.

“Given Stroman’s decline and contract situation, trading him could be beneficial, even if it requires attaching another valuable asset. The savings could be redirected toward more productive uses, such as strengthening the rotation with a more reliable starter or addressing needs at first base,” Wilson wrote on November 16. “For example, the Yankees could use those funds to pursue Christian Walker, an elite defensive first baseman with strong offensive capabilities.”

Yankees Predicted to Trade Stroman

With the possibility of the New York Yankees freeing up money, trading Stroman wouldn’t be a bad idea. While pitching often wins games, and he could be of use for them in the regular season, at the very least, $18.3 million is a lot to pay for a middle-of-the-pack starter in their rotation.

Zachary Rotman of FanSided predicted the Yankees would move him this winter, highlighting where their rotation stands.

“The first four players on this list are free agents, but Marcus Stroman is under contract and is set to make $18.3 million in the 2025 campaign. He was signed ahead of the 2024 season with the expectation that he’d be a reliable mid-rotation arm, but it just didn’t work out,” Rotman wrote on November 16. “The right-hander had a 4.31 ERA in 30 regular season appearances (29 starts) and 154.2 innings of work.

“The fact that he was able to eat a good amount of innings was a plus, but Stroman wasn’t even as good as his ERA would indicate… With Gerrit Cole officially locked back in, the Yankees have him leading their 2025 rotation followed by Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes. Stroman likely wouldn’t even begin the year in the rotation if the season started today. A trade could change things, but the Yankees should look to part with Stroman before letting any other starter go.”

What Could $18 Million Get the Yankees?

The New York Yankees need to re-sign Juan Soto, and while $18 million in 2025 isn’t much of a help, that’s still a decent amount of money to add to be able to use on him.

Outside of that, the Yankees could sign Christian Walker or another option at first base. Walker has been predicted to be about $20-plus million AAV, so it’d be nearly his salary next season.

There are other ways for them to improve, but first base seems to be the biggest concern. $18 million could get them a high-level player at the position, making it easy to move Stroman if it helped them do just that.