With Max Fried and the Yankees in agreement on an eight-year, $218 million contract, the Bombers are receiving interest in some of their other starters.
Brian Cashman said that teams are actively asking about the Yankees’ surplus on Wednesday, as Fried, still in need of a physical, is set to join a group that includes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman. With the Yankees also interested in cost-effective Japanese ace Rōki Sasaki and only five rotation spots available, don’t be surprised if Cashman moves some arms.
“If we find that there are matches that make sense, then you start to seriously consider it,” the general manager said. “So you just have to have those conversations, which we’re having. I don’t know where it’s gonna take us.”
On Wednesday, multiple reports said the Astros are interested in Gil in a potential Kyle Tucker trade. Parting with the controllable Gil would be a tough pill to swallow after his Rookie of the Year campaign, but the Yankees have a Juan Soto-sized hole in their outfield and offense and can sell high on the youngster from an area of strength.
Cortes and Stroman have also been mentioned as trade possibilities.
Cortes, projected to make $7.7 million in arbitration, is coming off a solid season in which he had a 3.77 ERA over 174.1 innings. However, the lefty suffered a late-season flexor strain before returning for the World Series.
On Wednesday, Aaron Boone said that he expected Cortes to have a normal offseason.
As for Stroman, Boone said, “He’ll be right in that [rotation] mix” earlier this week. But the Yankees wouldn’t mind moving on from his contract after the right-hander struggled in the second half and was held out of all postseason action.
Stroman is owed $18.5 million next season and can earn just as much in 2026 if he logs 140 innings next year.
While the high-priced pitching market has made Stroman’s deal appear more moveable by the day, the Yankees would likely have to sweeten any trade involving the veteran. That could mean taking on another unwanted contract, eating some money and/or attaching prospects to a trade.
Stroman recently acknowledged the possibility of being traded in a response to a trolling X user.
“Is that supposed to upset me?” Stroman replied. “Lmao I’m 33 and have accomplished more than I could imagine. I’m good with wherever life takes me at this point. The unknown excites me. Being able to take care of my entire family daily is a blessing that I could only dream of. It’s now a reality!”
On Wednesday, Boone said it’s too soon to start thinking about who might be excluded from the rotation, as the offseason is far from over. As for the Yankees’ newest starter, Boone expressed excitement after he and the team met with Fried over Zoom.
“He’s one of the game’s really, really good pitchers and has a really good track record now of success,” Boone said. “He’s a special talent.”
Boone added that he’s not necessarily opposed to lining Fried and Rodón up back-to-back in the rotation, though that doesn’t mean the skipper won’t get a right-hander in-between the lefties.
Compared to Rodón, Fried gives the Yankees a better No. 2 behind Cole and in the postseason.
Cole missed time with elbow inflammation in 2024, but Cashman said that injury didn’t impact the Yankees’ pricey pursuit of Fried, who agreed to the largest guarantee ever for a southpaw.
“[Cole] came back and pitched all the way through the World Series, so we feel he’s plug and play now moving forward,” Cashman said. “Like any pitcher, you never know what’s going to happen in the future. But no, if we’re importing anything, it’s because we just think it makes us better.”
