The New York Yankees have been the most active team in all of Major League Baseball since superstar Juan Soto defected to their crosstown rival New York Mets. And their latest impact addition might necessitate even more moves.
Earlier this week, the Yankees agreed to a trade with the Chicago Cubs that will bring two-time Silver Slugger Cody Bellinger to the Bronx. The Cubs will be paying $5 million of the $25 million Bellinger is owed for 2025, but as the Yankees payroll grows even in the absence of a major Soto deal, they could now be looking to shed some other salaries.
Projecting some corresponding moves for the Yankees, Rucker Haringey of FanSided listed three Yankees “who won’t be back after the Cody Bellinger trade.”
“New York does not necessarily need to shed salary moving forward but any payroll flexibility they can create could be important,” Haringey wrote. “The Bellinger domino will have consequences for several Yankee stars.”
First on Haringey’s list of stars on their way out is Marcus Stroman, a two-time All-Star who the Yankees signed to a two-year, $37 million contract last offseason. After Stroman posted a 4.31 ERA in 29 regular season starts in 2024 and did not make an appearance in the playoffs, it seems the team will look to trade him away rather than carry his $18.3 million salary into 2025.
“Stroman is the pitcher the team would most like to move,” Haringey added. “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.”
With Bellinger on the books, plus the addition of veteran southpaw Max Fried, Stroman certainly seems like the odd man out in the rotation. The pitching depth chart also includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt and the Yankees will be meeting with Japanese sensation Roki Sasaki as another potential addition.
It seems unlikely that many other teams will be interested in Stroman’s contract, but the Yankees might find a suitor willing to take on some of the money if they also throw in some future talent.
