The New York Yankees are reportedly looking to trade starting pitcher Marcus Stroman before Opening Day and it makes sense why. Stroman is set to earn $18 million in 2025 with another $18 million set to be paid in 2026 if he pitches at least 140 innings this season.
Stroman didn’t crack the Yankees’ World Series roster last season and New York has added Max Fried to the rotation as well. As it sits right now, it seems as though the righty is the sixth starting pitcher in the Bronx.
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A team like the Atlanta Braves would be the perfect suitor. Atlanta has lost Fried and Charlie Morton this season after struggling with pitching depth in 2024. This has left the Braves with quite a depleted starting rotation as spring training inches closer.
They were closely tied to free agent starter Jack Flaherty, but the righty ended up signing a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. After this whiff, the Braves can’t be too picky with which pitcher they chase now. Landing Stroman would give them a solid innings eater who could step into Morton’s role. Atlanta would still need to make a few moves before the season begins.
In this deal, the Braves would send pitching prospect Cade Kuehler to the Yankees in exchange for Stroman and cash. The cash in this deal would be to pay for half of Stroman’s remaining contract.
Kuehler, 22, is an excellent pitching prospect for the Braves, but he’s behind quite a few talented pitchers in Atlanta’s system. The righty is recovering from Tommy John surgery dating back to last season. Before surgery, the righty had an electric fastball with solid off-speed offerings. If the Yankees believe he’ll return to form after surgery, this is the deal to make.
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos originally drafted Stroman while he was with the Toronto Blue Jays. Many years later, Anthopoulos could put together a trade to bring the righty to Atlanta.
While Stroman may not be a middle of the rotation starter for New York, he will fit into Atlanta’s rotation just fine.
