The New York Yankees are going to need a near-perfect offseason this winter in order to place themselves back in the World Series in 2025. Not only did they come up short of the Los Angeles Dodgers this year, but the Dodgers controlled the entire series.
Now, New York could lose Juan Soto, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, and a few key bullpen arms. If they don't make drastic moves, the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox could all pass the Yankees in the American League East.
The Athletic's Chris Kirschner recently proposed the Yankees trade Marcus Stroman to the Washington Nationals. Trading Stroman is a move that I've long been a fan of the Yankees exploring, but Kirschner got into the specifics of what a deal could look like.
Here's the full trade Kirschner proposed:
- New York Yankees receive: UTL Juan Yepez
- Washington Nationals receive: RHP Marcus Stroman, INF Jorbit Vivas, $6 million
"The Washington Nationals are looking to add some starting pitching depth. Could a deal sending Stroman, $6 million and infielder Jorbit Vivas to the Nationals for Juan Yepez work? Yepez, who has played each corner infield and outfield spot, would be a decent bench option for the Yankees," Kirschner wrote. "Washington is looking to improve first base this offseason, and Yepez might be the odd man out. If this trade works, the Yankees would save $8.5 million while getting a pre-arbitration player in Yepez."
Trading Stroman would be a big enough move by itself. Getting his contract off the books just makes sense after he didn't make the postseason roster last season.
Attaching Vivas wouldn't be a huge loss either. Neither would the $6 million. But these are three pieces that the Nationals would love to have in their organization.
Overall, this trade seems like quite the win-win deal on the surface.
