Yankees' Marcus Stroman reacts to 'salary dump' trade rumors in Twitter flurry

Even before the Yankees' Max Fried addition last Tuesday night, right-hander Marcus Stroman appeared likely to land on the trade block before the end of the winter.

Owed $18.5 million against the luxury tax for each of the next two years (due to a vesting option), Stroman was held out of the Yankees' playoff rotation in 2024 despite earning the start in the team's home opener in April. He was a good soldier throughout the season, soaking up innings and mixing a few dazzlers in there early in the campaign. Unfortunately, his stuff began to recede midsummer, and by the end of the year, he was coming off a 5.98 second-half ERA in 10 starts. He struck out 113 men in 154 2/3 innings.

No ill will whatsoever, and there's value in what he provided, but by the spotlight portion of the season, he'd become a background actor. That made him both expendable and difficult to deal by winter's arrival.

Earlier this week, Stroman reckoned with that reality in a series of tweets. After wishing Juan Soto well in a congratulatory (and gracious) message, ironically posted in response to a fan using profanity to describe the slugger, a fan attempted to harsh the pitcher's mellow by reminding him that his salary was likely to be dumped. Stroman seemed grounded and oddly accepting of that reality.

Yankees' Marcus Stroman reacts to "salary dump" trade rumors

The fact of the matter is that Stroman grew up a Yankee fan, and had a wild one-year ride in the dugout of his dream team, rocking '90s gear and experiencing so many things he likely never anticipated experiencing.

It's also overwhelmingly likely to have been a one-year engagement, especially given the price of pitching on the current market. And that's ok.

Stroman had more messages in tow for fans ravaging Soto over his departure as well. Clearly, the locker room -- at least, the portion of the locker room that also might be elsewhere soon -- isn't feeling too vindictive about it.

The Yankees appear ready to reload in the wake of Soto's decision, and Stroman will more than likely be a part of the resulting storm.

Plenty of fans will be inclined, at that point, to try to tempt him into losing his cool. Don't be that fan. Like Stroman, just move on.