Inside The Pinstripes

Insider Asserts Yankees 'Actively Trying to Deal' Marcus Stroman

The New York Yankees are making an effort to trade starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, according to one insider.

Grant Young

Sep 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) reacts after being taken out of the game against the Baltimore Orioles during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) reacts after being taken out of the game against the Baltimore Orioles during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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It wasn't widely expected that the New York Yankees would be major players in acquiring elite free agent starting pitchers this offseason.

This is because starting pitching was not one of the Yankees' more pressing needs, as they finished the season with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, 2024 AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, and Marcus Stroman still on their roster.

But in the days after Juan Soto decided to sign with the Mets instead of the Yankees, New York appeared eager to sign a superstar and ultimately agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal with former Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried on December 10.

Adding Fried to the mix created even more of a logjam within the Yankees' starting rotation. While this was alleviated somewhat with Nestor Cortes getting dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers, New York still has six proven starting pitchers on their staff.

And with them still having clear holes on their roster, it's not a surprise that the Yankees front office is trying to unload at least one of these starters in a trade.

A January 7 article from USA Today's Bon Nightengale conveys that Brian Cashman is making a concerted effort to trade one starting pitcher, specifically.

"[The Yankees] are actively trying to deal starter Marcus Stroman and clear his $18 million salary," Nightengale wrote.

There had been previous reports about the Yankees' attempts to trade Stroman — who went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 154.2 innings pitched in the 2024 regular season but didn't pitch in the postseason — but New York clearly hasn't come to terms with any team thus far.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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