The New York Yankees have an excess of starting pitch and one insider predicts the reigning AL champs will make a move.
MLB insider Pete Caldera of NorthJersey.com shared his 25 predictions for 2025 for the Yankees. One of his predictions is that the Yankees will deal Marcus Stroman to division rival Toronto Blue Jays for two prospects.
“Seeking to unload Marcus Stroman’s $18 million contract for ’25, GM Brian Cashman trades the right-hander back to the willing-to-spend Toronto Blue Jays for two lottery pick prospects,” Caldera wrote.
Stroman is in the final year of his two-year $37 million deal with the Yankees. The starter struggled with New York and didn’t pitch at all in the playoffs, but he would help bolster the Blue Jays rotation.
Caldera also predicts Stroman will start in the Bronx in April and help the Blue Jays cruise to a lopsided win.
“On Luke Weaver Bobblehead Night in the Bronx, Marcus Stroman blanks the Yankees through seven innings of a 4-1 Blue Jays’ late April win,” Caldera predicted.
Stroman was drafted by the Blue Jays and played in Toronto from 2014 until 2019. The starter was a key member of the 2015 and 2016 teams that had deep playoff runs and was a fan favorite in Toronto.
Stroman went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games and 29 starts with New York in 2024.
Insider: Yankees Likely to Trade Stroman
New York signed Max Fried to bolster its rotation earlier this offseason.
Although the Yankees have dealt Nestor Cortes, New York has a surplus of starters. With that, MLB insider Robert Murray said the Yankees are likely to trade him.
“I also would imagine a Marcus Stroman trade would appear more likely than not,” Murray said on The Baseball Insiders.
Following Murray’s report, MLB analyst Rucker Haringey of FanSided also confirmed the Yankees are looking to move Stroman.
“Stroman is the pitcher the team would most like to move,” Haringey wrote. “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… 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.”
Stroman would be in a competition for the Yankees fifth starter in 2025. But, New York could look to offload his salary.
Blue Jays Need Pitching
Toronto entered the offseason with a clear need to improve its bullpen and potentially add a starter.
The Blue Jays were interested in Fried and Corbin Burnes but didn’t land either. However, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins says rebuilding the bullpen was a clear need.
“Creatively. You have to be creative in that area,” Atkins said. “That market is so volatile. You don’t want to put yourself in just one aspect of it. If you go to the top end, you’ve got to have really clear reasons why.”
By trading for Stroman, Toronto could put Yariel Rodriguez into the bullpen which would fill two needs with one move. But, whether or not the Blue Jays are interested in Stroman is to be seen.
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Yankees Predicted to Deal $37 Million Pitcher to Division Rival