New York Yankees Starting Rotation Only Has One Looming Question Mark

The starting rotation for the New York Yankees is looking strong heading into the 2025 campaign.

Sep 25, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) reacts during the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

With pitchers and catchers set to report for the New York Yankees, the 2025 campaign is nearly here.

This offseason, the Yankees made a couple of notable moves to improve their roster despite losing their superstar in free agency.

Arguably the most significant move for New York was the signing of Max Fried. The southpaw was one of the best-starting pitchers available in free agency and was an excellent addition to the rotation.

The 31-year-old has been excellent with the Atlanta Braves throughout his career, totaling an ERA of 3.07 and a record of (73-36). As a two-time All-Star and three-time gold glover, the Yankees are getting a great player.

In addition to having Fried at the top of the rotation, Gerrit Cole will be back as well to lead the team as the ace.

With a great duo at the top of the rotation, New York has a couple of talented younger arms in Clarke Schmidt and the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, Luis Gil. Both of these young right-handers will be looking to continue to improve in 2025.

Arguably the X-factor of the rotation will be Carlos Rodon. The left-hander was able to bounce back from a bad year in 2023 with a much better campaign in 2024. If he continues to find his groove in New York in 2025, he can pitch like a front-end of the rotation player as well.

Overall, the state of the rotation is looking strong for New York. However, there is one question mark to address before the start of the year.

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report recently predicted what the starting rotation will look like for the Yankees on Opening Day. Luckily, the unit looks very strong.

“The only real question surrounding the Yankees rotation is whether they will find a taker for Marcus Stroman on the trade market before Opening Day.”

With the signing of Fried this winter, it seemingly pushed Marcus Stroman out of the rotation. The former All-Star was mediocre overall for the Yankees in 2024 but had a dreadful second-half of the season, leading to a demotion from the rotation.

Now, with Stroman set to make $18 million in 2025, New York would surely like to trade him. To do so, they will have to eat a significant amount of that money, but it could help them free up some assets to pursue an upgrade in the infield.

Overall, the rotation is in great shape heading into 2025 for the Yankees with some stars leading the way. However, they will have to likely try and move Stroman before the start of the campaign.