The New York Yankees are preparing for spring training, but they still have a few things they want to accomplish before the season starts.
It has been a busy offseason for the Yankees. Despite making it to the World Series last year, the 2025 team will look quite different.
While losing Juan Soto wasn’t ideal, the Yankees have done a good job filling in some areas of need. If they had signed Soto to the big contract he received, it’s hard to say if they could have added some of the other pieces they brought in this winter.
Recently, New York addressed one of their needs in the bullpen by re-signing Tim Hill. The left-hander was a strong addition to the team last season, and keeping him was important because they didn’t have another lefty in the bullpen.
With Hill back in the bullpen, the Yankees now have two main areas left to address: backup catcher and the infield. However, with New York close to the luxury tax threshold, they likely want to shed some salary to make these moves.
At this point, former All-Star Marcus Stroman seems like the most likely player to be traded.
After the Yankees signed Max Fried this winter, Stroman became the odd man out in the rotation. Even though he had a 10-9 record with a 4.31 ERA last season, which isn’t bad, he is set to earn $18 million in 2025.
Despite a solid season, Stroman struggled in the second half of the year and lost his spot in the rotation as the season went on. Though he’s been an All-Star, consistency has been an issue for the right-hander.
For the Yankees to trade him, they may need to cover a large portion of his salary in 2025. However, this could be worth it to free up money. If they can do this, they could address their infield need while staying under the luxury tax threshold.
With several teams still needing starting pitching this offseason, finding a trade partner shouldn’t be too hard. The biggest challenge will be how much of Stroman’s contract the Yankees are willing to absorb.
