Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Reportedly Willing to Pay Down Marcus Stroman's Salary in a Trade

The New York Yankees are willing to make concessions in order to trade Marcus Stroman.
Grant Young|
Jun 11, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) looks on before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images
Jun 11, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) looks on before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

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New York Yankees

When the New York Yankees signed veteran right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman to a two-year, $37 million deal on January 11, 2024, they were surely hoping he would help provide valuable depth to their team's rotation during the 2024 season and be a reliable postseason arm for them.

Alas, Stroman proved to be unreliable during the regular season, as shown by his 10-9 record, 4.31 ERA, and 113 strikeouts in 154.2 innings pitched. Although Stroman amassed a 5.79 ERA in his final 15 regular season games pitched, which made it so the Yankees didn't pitch him at all in the postseason.

Now with the Yankees adding Max Fried to an already deep rotation, Stroman is seen as the odd man out. And according to a January 7 article from USA Today's Bon Nightengale, "[The Yankees] are actively trying to deal starter Marcus Stroman and clear his $18 million salary."

Stroman's trade value certainly isn't too high right now. This is why, according to a January 9 article from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, New York is willing to make some contract concessions in order to offload him elsewhere.

"The Yankees are still trying to trade Marcus Stroman and are willing to pay down his $18M salary," Heyman wrote. 

"Should they save money there, the Yankees would have more to spend on an infielder — though don’t expect Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado."

This essentially means that the Yankees are willing to eat a portion of Stroman's contract in order to make a trade more appealing.

Heyman also added that infielders like Brendan Rodgers or Paul DeJong, "are among decent options they’re considering."

Whether paying down Stroman's contract will be enough to entice opposing teams (and if so, which teams) remains to be seen.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for On SI. 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. You can follow him on X: @GrvntYoung

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