The New York Yankees are shopping a starting pitcher.
The Yankees already dealt Nestor Cortes after signing Max Fried, but according to MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided, New York is looking to trade Marcus Stroman.
“I also would imagine a Marcus Stroman trade would appear more likely than not,” Murray said on The Baseball Insiders.
Stroman signed a two-year $37 million deal with the Yankees ahead of the 2024 MLB season. However, the starting pitcher didn’t pitch in the playoffs and entered the offseason without a clear role.
After New York signed Fried, Murray now believes the Yankees are looking to deal Stroman. What teams are interested in him, or what New York will get back for him is uncertain.
Stroman went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games. Stroman was originally drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. He’s also played for the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs.
Analyst Expects Yankees to Move on From Stroman
Before Murray’s report came out, MLB analyst Rucker Haringey of FanSided wrote that he expects the Yankees to move on from Stroman.
Stroman has no clear-cut role with the Yankees, while New York is also interested in Roki Sasaki which would further minimize Stroman’s role.
“Cashman and his staff have already offloaded Nestor Cortes this offseason. But, they still have six established starting pitchers for five rotation spots. That makes offloading one more starter a real possibility,” Haringey wrote. “Stroman is the pitcher the team would most like to move. He is overpaid compared to his performance on the field and the higher-ups in the Bronx have already shown they don’t trust him in the postseason.
“His bloated salary means New York will have to accept very little in return for the veteran righty,” Haringey added. “The team’s continued pursuit of Roki Sasaki also plays into this prediction. He would not be a costly free-agent signing. But, he will command a rotation spot for the team that wins out for his services. Cashman’s unabashed interest in the Japanese pitcher is a clear tell that Stroman’s long-term future with the Yankees is in serious jeopardy.”
The Yankees rotation is expected to be Gerrit Cole, Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt.
Fried Ecstatic to Sign With New York
The Yankees made a big addition to its rotation by signing Fried to an eight-year $218 million deal.
“When I get out there, I’m going to leave everything out there and compete to the best of my abilities,” Fried said. “The one thing that we’re out here to do is to win. I couldn’t be more excited to be part of the Yankees and part of this organization.”
Fried helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a World Series in 2021 and he hopes to do the same with the Yankees.
“Winning is a big priority for me,” said Fried. “Every single year the Yankees come to Spring Training, the number one goal is to win a World Series, to get to the playoffs. It’s not to do anything besides hold up the trophy at the end of the year. Knowing I was going to make a potentially long commitment. I wanted to be in a place that I knew I was going to be able to win, year in and year out.”
Fried went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts with the Braves in 2023.
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Insider: Yankees ‘Likely’ to Trade $37 Million Pitcher