MLB Rumors: 5 Marcus Stroman trade destinations

3. New York Yankees should be in the mix for a Marcus Stroman trade

Despite sitting at 36-26 on the season, the Yankees are in a fascinating position as they move closer to the second half of the year, specifically as it pertains to the pitching staff. Gerrit Cole remains an unquestionable ace, but after that, things have been shaky more often than not.

With Carlos Rodon having been on the IL for a lengthy stint and with his recovery taking substantially more time than anyone initially expected, the Yankees have watched the likes of Clarke Schmidt, Domingo German, Nestor Cortes (who also just went on the IL), Jhony Brito and Luis Severino all deliver wildly inconsistent performances.

The power of the New York lineup has masked some of these issues, as has being able to take advantage of the majority of the good starts that this group has provided. At the same time, though, in the loaded AL East that will likely land the Yankees in a wild card spot based on the way things currently stand, they need more reliable pitching, perhaps even when Rodon returns.

It’d be hard to believe that Marcus Stroman would end up in New York back on the Mets, but it’s less difficult to see the Yankees getting aggressie at the trade deadline to try and make a play for the Cubs ace. They were active to address pitching at last year’s trade deadline — even if that resulted in a whiff on Frankie Montas — and, should they choose to do so again, it’s hard to imagine their crosshairs not landing on Stroman.