Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the New York Yankees made an attempt to trade Marcus Stroman to the San Francisco Giants earlier this winter. In this proposed deal, LHP Taylor Rogers would have been sent to the Bronx to improve the bullpen, but the Giants rejected the offer as they held a strong belief in their young starters.

With the injury to Luis Gil being a high-grade lat strain, their failed attempts to move the veteran starter may not haunt them, but their motivation to get him off the payroll was there. Not only are the Yankees trying to avoid that $18 million price tag for 2025, but they know there’s a 2026 vesting option that Stroman is likely to pick up if he reaches the 140-inning threshold.

The Yankees have had an incredibly difficult time trying to trade Stroman, but given the injuries in their rotation, they might not be as willing to trade him.

Yankees Might Need Marcus Stroman After Unsuccessful Trade Attempts

Marcus Stroman was underwhelming in the first year of a two-year deal that he signed with the Yankees last offseason, as his fastball velocity declined by nearly two MPH. The right-hander posted a 4.31 ERA and was moved out of the rotation last September, but he’ll likely be re-inserted after AL Rookie of the Year winner Luis Gil went down with a high-grade lat strain.

While the Yankees have not announced who their fifth starter would be, the crafty veteran seems to have a leg up in the fifth starter battle because of the money he’s owed and the fact that Will Warren can still be optioned to Triple-A. It may not satisfy what fans want nor do I believe it’s what the decision-makers want to do, but with limited SP options, the Yankees have to make sure they have as many arms available as possible for the 2025 season.

JT Brubaker suffered rib fractures during the Spring Training opener against the Rays, and Chase Hampton suffered a UCL tear and needed Tommy John Surgery, decimating the team’s rotation depth before March even rolled around.

The Yankees would have been happy to trade Marcus Stroman to the Giants for Taylor Rogers before these injuries rolled around; the left-hander would have provided some extra bullpen support and only had a year left on his deal. With their current question marks in the infield and at DH, the Yankees can desperately use some right-handed hitting, but the financial flexibility to add one or two more bats is limited.

Brian Cashman could be waiting for some veterans to get desperate, but one of the veterans who won’t settle for a MiLB deal is OF Adam Duvall, who Joel Sherman reported will retire if he doesn’t get $3 million. Given the 110% tax the Yankees have to pay, I would understand the team deciding against handing that kind of money to a player who posted a -1.0 fWAR last season.

Still, without rotation depth beyond Marcus Stroman and Will Warren, the Yankees may have accidentally dodged a catastrophe with their starting five.