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World Series – Los Angeles Dodgers v New York Yankees – Game 5 | Sarah Stier/GettyImages
As the New York Yankees try and figure out how they’re going to move on from Marcus Stroman about a year after they decided to give him $38 million, fans are constantly reminded of how Brian Cashman chooses the wrong players over and over again.
On Sunday night, the Detroit Tigers struck a deal with Jack Flaherty for two years and $35 million, and the deal has an opt out clause after the first season. Stroman’s contract? Two years and $38 million with an $18 million vesting player option for 2026 if he throws 140 or more innings this year.
Somehow, Stroman got that contract from the Yankees after a 1.6 WAR season in which he appeared in 27 games and pitched only 136 2/3 innings. Flaherty got his contract after a World Series winning campaign with the Dodgers. He was traded to LA at the deadline and ended up finishing with a 3.1 WAR, 3.17 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with 194 strikeouts in 162 innings.
To make matters worse? Flaherty is entering his age-29 season while Stroman was entering his age-33 season last year. How much more incorrectly could the Yankees have read the market after the 2023 season?
Don’t forget, the Stroman deal materialized after the Yankees drew a line in the sand with Blake Snell. They reportedly offered him a $150 million contract and the left-hander declined, which forced the Stroman pivot. Meanwhile, the Dodgers paid Snell $182 million this offseason after the Yankees scoffed at an elevated one-year deal with an option for Snell (something he eventually took with the San Francisco Giants).
BREAKING: Right-hander Jack Flaherty and the Detroit Tigers are in agreement on a two-year, $35 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2025
Yankees continue to regret Marcus Stroman decision after Jack Flaherty contract
To be clear, Yankees fans aren’t necessarily wholeheartedly opposed to Stroman’s contract — it’s only become a point of contention because the front office refuses to make any notable signings until they get rid of his salary, if we’re to believe recent reporting.
Only in hindsight has it become a poor move because of the Yankees’ self-imposed financial restrictions, as well as their unwillingness to take larger short-term payroll hits. It’s this kind of thinking that holds them back year after year, even if they have one of the highest payrolls in the game.
Flaherty doesn’t have the career track record of Stroman, but he’s considerably younger, has double the playoff experience, and is somehow making less in his prime coming off the second-best season of his career. As for Stroman, it’s been well documented that he has trouble with a larger workload, specifically in the second half of most seasons, and that he relies on an adequate defense behind him to succeed. The Yankees failed to manage his workload properly and had one of the worst defenses in the sport last season.
This is not an argument for Flaherty over Stroman, or for Stroman to be ditched at first opportunity. It’s merely a reflection of how this front office operates, and how the decision making is so off base when trying to fill the proper vacancies on this roster.