I already wrote an article on the first three Yankees that won’t be back in 2025. But those three (Clay Holmes, Anthony Rizzo and Alex Verdugo) felt like layups. If the Yankees are going to go all-in to bring Soto back, they’re going to have to find a way to clear some cap space, which could come at the cost of a few other players on their roster.
Out of the three players on this list, one of them is an upcoming free agent. The other two are going to be much different situations than this one.
Trivino hasn’t pitched in a major league game since 2022, when he had a dominant second half as a member of the Yankees. Trivino had elbow surgery and he’s yet to make a return, leaving him as one of the bigger question marks on the Yankees roster. Trivino’s injuries didn’t just have to do with his elbow, as he had shoulder set backs along the way as well. Given all of this, it’s likely that the Yankees opt to decline his club option in 2025.
Trivino is a very talented pitcher, but after missing two full seasons, he’s going to need a team to take a major risk on him, likely for very cheap, if he wants a shot in the big leagues again in 2025. The Yankees have a ton of bullpen options available already, with the team likely looking to upgrade in free agency as well. It wouldn’t make much sense for the Bronx Bombers to accept his option and blindly pay him million of dollars again in 2025.
INF DJ LeMahieu
Trivino is a reasonably easy decision to make for the Yankees; declining his option is one of the easier club option decisions in all of baseball. There’s a chance that he returns to New York on a cheaper deal, but that’s a different conversation. LeMahieu, however, would take a ton of thought and action to get off the roster heading into 2025.
The Yankees superutility man has played a ton of positions for Aaron Boone’s club, but at this point in his career, he’s playing them all poorly. Last season, he slashed .204/.269/.259, which is by far his worst full season with the Yankees. The former batting champion had an incredible season in 2020, but has slowly fallen off since then. He was a tremendous net negative for the Yankees last season.
New York would need to find a trade partner to get rid of him. They would likely have to attach prospects in order to avoid having to eat some of his contract as well, but getting him off their books as well as getting him off their active roster would be a huge plus. At this point, the Yankees would be better off just cutting him, because he does more harm than good to the team.
The last player is going to take some explaining, so hang with me on this one before you get too mad.
The first thing to mention is the market for starting pitchers. Every teams around the league is willing to pay for the privilege of acquiring reliable starting pitching, whether it’s in the form of prospects or major league talent. If the Yankees decided to trade Stroman, they could get at least something of value back, despite the way the righty finished the 2024 season.
Stroman didn’t pitch at all in the postseason, despite being available on the roster. Much like 2023, he started the year strong before eventually falling apart due to injuries and ineffectiveness. By the end of the year, Boone simply didn’t trust him in big moments, either as a starter or out of the bullpen. Then there’s the matter of his contract: The Yankees have the ability to clear nearly $20 million a season by trading Stroman. This money could be used to pursue a better starter like Max Fried or Yusei Kikuchi, while also saving money to use on Soto.
It’s an unconventional idea. It’s not the most obvious move to make, but it’s one the Yankees could definitely explore as the offseason goes on.
