One of the worst-kept secrets throughout this offseason has been the New York Yankees’ desire to move off Marcus Stroman and his contract.
With one year and $18.5 million remaining on his $37 million contract, Stroman has become an odd-man-out in the starting rotation after the Yankees signed left-hander Max Fried earlier in free agency.
As the Yankees look to avoid surpassing the $301 million luxury tax threshold, Stroman’s contract has become a sore spot in those efforts.
However, former Yankees outfielder and current MLB broadcaster Cameron Maybin hinted that a deal could be on its way sooner rather than later.
“I think it’s safe to say we may be getting some Marcus Stroman news very soon!” Maybin posted on X.
This would be a huge relief for the Yankees. Not only would this free up some money to add another infielder, but Stroman doesn’t really have a role on the current roster.
With the current starting rotation including Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, the five spots are already locked up. On top of that, Stroman has no bullpen experience, and it doesn’t seem that will be a path for the 33-year-old.
Despite getting off to a hot start for the Yankees in 2024, Stroman’s season quickly deteriorated.
Among pitchers with at least 150 innings during the 2024 season, Stroman’s 16.7% strikeout rate was tied for the worst mark in MLB. Meanwhile, his 8.9% walk rate was tied for the 11th-highest mark.
Another issue with Stroman’s contract is the vesting option he has for the 2026 season. If he throws 140 innings in 2025, he’ll have a player option to make $18.3 million next year, per Spotrac.
Getting Stroman’s contract — or as much of it as possible — is the big objective for the Yankees right now so we’ll see if there was any fire to the smoke from Maybin’s post on social media.
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