Miami Marlins: Why a Marcus Stroman trade with the New York Yankees could make Sense

The Miami Marlins have a serious pitching problem. Oddly, they also have a pressing need to invest money in their on-field roster.

Perhaps the devolving situation between Jordan Montgomery and the Arizona Diamondbacks opens the door for a mutually beneficial trade. A similar move between the Marlins and New York Yankees, centered around former ace Marcus Stroman, could also be mutually beneficial.

The Marlins need to add around $20 million in payroll this offseason to avoid the possibility of a grievance being filed against them. The Yankees are also actively seeking to trade Stroman's $18.33 million contract to free up salary to spend on other needs.

The 33-year-old veteran was still quite effective as a starter in 2024. He recorded a 4.31 ERA and 113 strikeouts across 154.2 innings of work. This was the first season since 2018 that Stroman failed to post an ERA under 4.0, giving him a real chance to positively regress toward an even better stat line in 2025.

Stroman's 150-170 innings of work would be hyper-valuable to a turbulent Miami rotation. The two-time All-Star would not need to dominate on a rebuilding Marlins club. His ability to take pressure off the younger arms would make this trade worth considering.

There is also a chance that the Yankees are so motivated to move Stroman's contract that they could consider stapling a low-level prospect to the deal in exchange for the salary relief. If this were to ever become the case, it would be a layup for President Peter Bendix and Miami's front office.

A Stroman deal would allow New York to capitalize on the rest of the free agency class as they seek to rebound from superstar Juan Soto's departure. It is worth New York's energy to move add to their depth chart by subtracting the veteran pitcher.

This type of deal could also allow Miami to add salary, gain an innings eater they desperately need, add a veteran presence to a very young roster, and, perhaps, even add a prospect or late-round draft pick in return.