Why Yankees' Marcus Stroman Could be a Bounce-Back Candidate in 2025

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the New York Yankees, "are actively trying to deal starter Marcus Stroman and clear his $18 million salary," in a January 7 article.

Jul 27, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) walks to the dugout after being taken out of the game against the Boston Red Sox during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Two days later, Jon Heyman of the New York Post confirmed this report and also added, "The Yankees are still trying to trade Marcus Stroman and are willing to pay down his $18M salary."

Therefore, there seems to be a decent chance that Stroman will no longer be on the Yankees by the time the 2025 season begins. But regardless of where he ends up, Stroman's 2025 campaign is an extremely important one — which MLB.com writer Thomas Harrigan wrote in a January 10 article titled, "10 free agents from last year with something to prove".

"This season carries major financial ramifications for Stroman, who signed a two-year, $37 million deal with the Yankees last January," Harrigan wrote. "The veteran right-hander will trigger an $18 million player option for 2026 if he throws at least 140 innings in 2025. Otherwise, he’ll become a free agent at the end of the year, at which point he’ll be going into his age-35 campaign.

"Stroman currently finds himself without a rotation spot after his team added a marquee starter -- Max Fried, in this case -- via free agency," he added. "As a result, he is also a candidate to be traded before Opening Day, though demand for the right-hander could be limited after he recorded a 4.31 ERA with a career-worst FIP (4.62) and K/BB (1.88) in 2024, fading during the summer for the second straight year."

While Stroman certainly didn't have an ideal 2024 campaign (proven by his 10-9 record, 4.31 ERA, and 113 strikeouts in 154.2 innings pitched plus a 5.79 ERA in his final 15 regular season games), he's an established veteran who has proven he can produce in the major leagues.

If he can find a way to remain consistent across the entire season, Marcus Stroman has a chance to remind many who've forgotten about how valuable he can be for a MLB team.