After signing Juan Soto to the largest contract in sports history, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns have taken a more economical approach to acquiring talent. They have since signed Frankie Montas and reliever Clay Holmes to pitch as starters, but they still have an open spot in the rotation yet to fill. The Mets have reportedly scouted Nick Pivetta during their search for arms, but there is a more proven arm on the trading block.
Across town, in the Bronx, the Yankees seem desperate to dump Marcus Stroman’s salary from the books. After one year in pinstripes, Yankee Stadium turns out to be a nightmare for the veteran righty. At home, he pitched to an unremarkable 5.31 ERA while posting a solid 3.09 on the road. This culminated in a rather dismal 4.31 ERA on the season. Stroman has pitched with the Mets to great success in the past. A move back to Queens might be just what he needs to bounce back.
Stroman is owed over $36.6 million through the next two years (over $18.3 million a year) with a vesting option for 2026. For Cohen, this would be a problem. Luckily, Hal Steinbrenner is more than willing to pay a portion of his salary to trade him.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are deep into a search for an infielder to replace Gleyber Torres. The Mets, on the other hand, are overflowing with infield talent. Mark Vientos, Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, Luisangel Acuna, Jett Williams, Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty will all likely be infield options next season. The Mets are also aiming to bring back Pete Alonso. If that happens, there will only be two infield spots open.
But like Stroman at Yankee Stadium, there is one infielder that doesn’t do well at Citi Field. This makes the Mets and Yankees perfect trade partners.
Trading Marcus Stroman to the Mets for Jeff McNeil
Jeff McNeil makes perfect sense for the Yankees for a variety of reasons. In an injury-shortened 2024 season, McNeil posted his worst season featuring a .238/.308/.384/.692 slash line with 12 home runs in 424 at-bats. He struggled throughout the first half but recovered during the second half before hitting the IL. However, there is nothing more glaring in his splits than his home/away record. In Queens, McNeil hit a ghastly .199 with only two home runs. Away from Citi Field, he hit a respectable .279 with 10 home runs.
McNeil has never been a true power hitter though he did hit 23 home runs in 2019. The bulk of his success is as a pure-hitter. His best performance came in 2022 when he hit .326 winning his only batting title. But at Yankee Stadium, McNeil would be more than just lineup depth. Baseball Savant estimates his 12 home runs last season would have been 19 in the Bronx thanks to his left-handed pull-hitting style. With the Yankees, McNeil could be a 20+ home run bat.
Even if he can’t recover the .300+ batting averages he posted in seasons past, McNeil would still be perfect for the Yankees’ lineup. He doesn’t whiff much and he rarely strikes out which complements their power-hitting, strikeout-heavy batting order. Over his career, he has been a plus defender though in recent years, he’s only been neutral to slightly positive posting zero outs above average at second base in 2024. Regardless, he would be a defensive improvement over Torres.
McNeil is owed $15.75 million for each of the next two years and has a club option for 2027 for the same price. Dumping his salary would work to offset what Stroman would make under the Mets and may be a very favorable deal for them since the Yankees would be picking up the tab for some of what he is owed.
In addition to getting Stroman, the Mets would receive Yankees’ No. 10 prospect, Everson Pereira. The Yankees have a logjam of outfield talent with Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge taking the spotlight this coming season and Spencer Jones waiting in the wings. Pereira has showcased exceptional skill and performed very well in the minors, though his stint in the majors wasn’t successful.
Injuries hampered his production in Triple-A last season before being shut down. After undergoing Tommy John surgery last year, he should be ready to return for the 2025 season. His addition to the Mets would give them added outfield depth and provide some extra incentive for taking Stroman.
