Yankees-Marcus Stroman trade rumors emphasize Brian Cashman's pitching mistakes

Editor's Note: This article was adjusted to reflect the proper terms of Marcus Stroman's contract.

It's no secret the New York Yankees were going to try and trade Marcus Stroman this offseason, but now it feels as official it can possibly be without being official. A report from Bob Nightengale on Tuesday confirmed that Yankees are "actively trying to deal" Stroman.

Stroman has two years and $36.5 million remaining on his contract, which looked like an absolute bargain last offseason. The Yankees added him as one of their final pieces on a two-year, $37 million deal, which could eventually turn into a three-year, $55.5 million contract if he pitches 140 innings in 2025.

From a bargain to a burden! That's just how it goes sometimes. Did anybody expect Stroman to be this bad? Not necessarily. And the truth of the matter is that his numbers may not have been as awful if he had a competent defense behind him (Stroman famously pitches to contact, something the Yankees knew and signed him anyway despite having below-average defenders all over the diamond).

Then again, many didn't expect him to be great, and given the Yankees were paying an $18 million AAV, some believed they should've just went the extra mile and shelled out another $7-$10 million per year to acquire someone better. Or they could've just never been in the position to pay Stroman had they made better decisions in previous years.

This is nothing new, though. Even though the Yankees' offense has famously gone silent in October, they've also failed to bring the necessary pitching depth and pedigree to the postseason since 2016. Over that span, with the exception of Gerrit Cole, the Yankees have downright incorrectly chosen free agent and trade options to bolster their rotation.

And ever since? All it's done is hurt them. JA Happ? Disgusting. Continued reliance on Domingo German? Terrible. Trading Justus Sheffield for James Paxton but not Manny Machado? What? Signing Luis Severino to a contract extension when it was absolutely not needed at all (and sticking with him for an extra year when they didn't have to). Spending a fortune on Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton only to watch the two crumble when it mattered most. Killing their relationship with Jordan Montgomery. Signing Corey Kluber. Trading for Jameson Taillon. Carlos Rodón's $162 million contract? Pretty much a bust. And then there's Stroman.

Over the years, the Yankees have treated the starting rotation as a budgetary experiment rather than the most important/rightfully expensive aspect of the roster. That goes for trades, too. They've never made a blockbuster trade for a starting pitcher during the Aaron Judge era. They missed on a Zack Wheeler trade (and then passed on him in free agency). They let the Red Sox step in and trade for Chris Sale. They couldn't get a trade done for Pablo Lopez. Over that same span, they let both Corbin Burnes and Blake Snell get away (both via trade and in free agency). To make matters worse, two offseasons ago, they could've just signed Nathan Eovaldi for less than what they paid Stroman.

And guess what? This is only the spark notes. This is the stuff off the top of Yankees fans' heads because every misstep is so memorable and hurtful.

As for the Stroman situation, it is what it is, but somehow they're back in the position of overpaying somebody they probably never should've paid in the first place. If he's here in 2025, we'll be hoping for a bounce-back (or more efficient usage). If he ends up getting traded, it's not going to be a favorable deal for the Yankees, and they'll still probably need another starter. And what team is going to want to take on Stroman with the possible fear of him logging 140 mediocre innings in 2025, only to pay him another $18 million in 2026?

It just feels like this should be a bit easier, is all.