The New York Yankees have done a pretty great job in the aftermath of losing superstar outfielder Juan Soto. They replaced Soto in a blockbuster trade for Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger. New York also replaced Nester Cortes with Max Fried and replaced Clay Holmes with Devin Williams.

There’s still a bit more work to do at the corner infield spots. But there might be a different trade for the Yankees to make. The Bronx Bombers could look to the Houston Astros to swing a blockbuster trade centered around Astros pitcher Framber Valdez for Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman. Here’s a deal that could bring Valdez to the Yankees in a swap for pitcher Marcus Stroman:

New York Yankees acquire: LHP Framber Valdez Houston Astros acquire: RHP Marcus Stroman, RHP Will Warren (No. 5 prospect), OF Francisco Vilorio (No. 15 prospect)

This trade works for the Yankees in two ways. First, they would acquire another ace-caliber pitcher to add to their rotation with Gerrit Cole and Max Fried at the top. Second, they would get off Stroman’s remaining contract, freeing money up to pay Alex Bregman or Christian Walker in free agency.

The Astros appear to be in a retooling year. With that in mind, they could afford to trade their expiring contracts to bring in controllable talent. Houston did this with Kyle Tucker and we could see it done with Valdez as well.

Stroman comes with multiple years of team control and the talent to still pitch in the big leagues. Will Warren is the Yankees’ top pitching prospect. The right-hander should be big league-ready by spring training with a shot at cracking the Astros’ roster on opening day in this scenario.

Francisco Vilorio is a young outfield prospect with all the tools scouts rave about. He’s young with a huge bat and an even bigger arm. If coaches and training staff can help him put all the pieces together, he has the makings of a true star.