The San Francisco Giants rotation won't be as strong next season after losing Blake Snell. Adding Justin Verlander was a wise idea, but there's plenty of risk in signing the 41-year-old.
Verlander dealt with injuries last year and had the worst showing of his career. The Giants, however, seem to trust that he'll figure it out, and that might not be the wrong idea. Verlander is one of the best starters in Major League Baseball history and could play a massive impact for San Francisco if he's healthy.
Still, the Giants could use another arm, preferably a veteran who could come in and eat innings. There are a few options available on the trade and free agency market, including Marcus Stroman.
The New York Yankees have been looking to trade him but haven't had any success in doing so yet. That could be due to his $18 million salary for 2025.
However, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Yankees are willing to eat some of his contract.
"The Yankees are still trying to trade Marcus Stroman and are willing to pay down his $18M salary. Should they save money there, the Yankees would have more to spend on an infielder — though don’t expect Alex Bregman or Nolan Arenado."
New York needs an infielder, but even if the Giants can't give them one in a deal, the Yankees would have more to spend on the free agency or trade front.
Stroman isn't what he used to be. He was a 4.31 ERA arm in the last campaign, but he's thrown in more than 136 2/3 innings in each of the past four years.
At worst, he could be a decent depth option for San Francisco and might be cheap if New York is willing to eat his money as Heyman reported.
