Who should the Yankees trade away this offseason?

The New York Yankees lost the biggest free agency sweepstakes in baseball history. Juan Soto signed with the crosstown Mets, even after spending one year in The Bronx. They pivoted off Plan A, signing Max Fried and trading for Devin Williams and Cody Bellinger to improve their team. But the Yankees should make one more trade and send Marcus Stroman out of town before the offseason ends.

The Yankees’ first big move after losing Soto was signing Fried to the largest deal ever given to a left-handed pitcher. Carlos Rodon was supposed to be the second ace behind Gerrit Cole but struggled through parts of the 2024 season, including the playoffs. A new lefty ace gives New York a surplus of starters that they should trade from to fill out their lineup.

Soto was not the only starter the Yankees lost from their World Series run. Gleyber Torres left for the Detroit Tigers, leaving a hole at second base they could fill internally. Jazz Chisholm Jr played third last year but could return to his natural position of second. And Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza can battle for the third-base job in camp. But trading Stroman could give them a better option at either position.

Nearly every team in the league could get better by adding a starting pitcher. Finding a guy who can throw 150 innings like Stroman did last year is not easy and the Yankees have that piece. But trades need partners so Brian Cashman must find a team who needs a pitcher and can give up an MLB-quality infielder before Spring Training begins.

Potential Yankees’ trade partners for Marcus Stroman deal

The San Diego Padres swung and missed on Roki Sasaki this offseason. He picked the rival Dodgers after narrowing his list to LA, San Diego, and the Toronto Blue Jays. So now they could use another pitcher and have been openly shopping Luis Arraez. While Arraez is not a great defender, something the Yankees are looking for, he fills their need for a lead-off hitter.

Stroman’s contract pays him $18.33 million for the next two seasons and Arraez is due $14 million for just this year. If the Yankees wanted to get this deal done, they could eat $4.33 million to even out the money. It would not change their books for next year and would fill out their roster.

But Stroman could be a salary dump as well. If a team was willing to take his full salary, the Yankees could attach a prospect to finish the deal. The Athletics would have been a prime candidate before signing Luis Severino. The Detroit Tigers need pitching to supplement their elite ace Tarik Skubal. Outfield prospect Everson Pereira could get that deal done.

If the Yankees went with the salary dump method, Jorge Polanco should be their free-agent target. He would cost less than Stroman on a one-year deal after a brutal 2024 season in Seattle. But New York needs defense far more than they need offense and should bring in the versatile infielder. They could start with Polanco and Chisholm at either second or third and switch them during the year if it is not working.

The Yankees have a surplus of starters and should deal from that position of power to get their final infielder. While it is not the offseason they imagined, they would still be the AL East favorites if they made this move.