Washington Nationals Add Pitching in Suggested Trade With New York Yankees
The Washington Nationals have a few needs that they will be looking to address this offseason across the roster.
General manager Mike Rizzo has not been shy in saying the team will spend in free agency. Money is coming off the books with first baseman Joey Gallo and starting pitchers Patrick Corbin and Trevor Williams hitting free agency.
That money will be put back into the team, addressing weaknesses. Expect the Nationals to pursue some power hitters for their lineup and some experience on the pitching staff, both the rotation and bullpen.
While Corbin’s production was underwhelming the last few years, he was always available. Every fifth day, even when he was struggling, he would take the ball and give the team everything he had.
That kind of reliability is hard to find in the starting rotation and won’t be easy to replace. Washington will seek some upgrades on the market, but it would not be a surprise to see them work the phones with some trades as well.
One team that could be a match as a trade partner is the New York Yankees.
In a recent piece over at The Athletic by Chris Kirschner, he put together what the perfect offseason for the Bronx Bombers would look like. One of the tasks on their to-do list would be trading starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.
The two-time All-Star has 10 MLB seasons under his belt, as he opted out of the 2020 COVID-19 shortened campaign. He signed a two-year, $37 million contract last offseason, with an $18.5 million vesting option for 2026 should he pitch 140 innings in 2025.
Looking to clear some salary cap space, and based on his October usage, it would be fair to assume Stroman isn’t in the team’s long-term plans. If they could find a taker for him, the Yankees would jump at the opportunity.
What could a deal between Washington and New York look like? The beat writer suggested a package in which the Yankees eat a little money, include a prospect and bring back a player that costs a fraction of what Stroman does.
“The Washington Nationals are looking to add some starting pitching depth. Could a deal sending Stroman, $6 million and infielder Jorbit Vivas to the Nationals for Juan Yepez work?”
The No. 16 prospect in the New York pipeline, Vivas has long-term potential as a solid contact hitter who is willing to work a walk. He would add to the Nationals' stable of young players they are developing.
Stroman could slide right into the middle of the rotation spot and should be a sizable upgrade on Burnes production-wise while bringing some much-needed experience to the group.
Given their plans in free agency, Yepez is someone that makes sense as a trade piece. If Washington is successful in adding a power hitter at the position, such as Christian Walker, flipping the bench piece to fill another void would be a good move
