3 Yankees who are now trade bait after Brian Cashman's spending spree

Brian Cashman is not the sort of executive who wallows in disappointment. That's why the Yankees are working feverishly to bounce back from the brutal loss of Juan Soto. Signing Max Fried was the first step in Cashman's Plan B. More signings are on the way, which means several players on the current roster will be headed out the door via trade.

The rotation is obviously overcrowded with Fried. His addition gives the roster seven starting pitchers with significant MLB experience. Good teams can never have too many starting pitchers, but look for New York to offload some arms to help strengthen their batting order.

There are some position players who could also be moved to improve the team. Cashman knows that anything other than a World Series title next year will be deemed a failure. Young, unproven hitters could be dealt to make way for more established veterans.

Yankees fans should keep a close eye on the following three players to be used by Cashman as trade bait before Opening Day.

Yankees trade piece No. 1: Marcus Stroman

Marcus Stroman is the most likely Yankee to be offloaded in the offseason. The team clearly doesn't trust him in high-leverage situations as evidenced by their decision to leave him off their postseason roster. That, combined with his potentially high price tag should make him a priority for Cashman to move in the coming weeks.

That does not mean Stroman won't have value to other teams around the league. He's a competitive starter who can soak up innings. Plenty of teams would love to have a starter who can throw for more than 150 innings with an ERA of 4.31 — as Stroman did one year ago.

The key for Cashman will be to find a team that isn't too turned off by Stroman's bloated salary. The best the Yankees can hope for is to receive a middling prospect or decent bullpen arm in exchange for the diminutive starter. Any return north of that would represent a steal for the Yankees.

Yankees trade piece No. 2: Nestor Cortes

Nester Cortes struggled in the postseason, but his performance in 2024 was still worthy of a middle-rotation starter for a playoff team. He is superior to Stroman in terms of his ability and price tag. The Yankees have a real opportunity to turn Cortes into a quality player at a position of need.

Some teams might be turned off by the finesse Cortes used to succeed, but it's hard to argue with his effectiveness. He gave the Yankees 2.6 WAR last year, which was the third-highest mark of his career. There's no reason to believe he can't reprise that performance as a 31-year-old this upcoming season.

Patience will be imperative for Cashman when it comes to dealing Cortes. A few teams are going to be left needing to add to their rotations after the free agency carousel stops spinning. Cortes does not profile as a potentail ace, but he can be a No. 3 starter for a team with legitimate playoff aspirations.

Flipping Cortes for a corner outfielder or first-baseman could help the Yankees save a lot of money on the open market. At the very least, New York should be able to turn the southpaw into multiple prospects who can help restock their farm system.

Yankees trade piece No 3: Ben Rice

Ben Rice had some nice moments in the majors last season in relief of Anthony Rizzo. Ultimately though, he was unable to seize the first base position as his own. That's why he will likely be moved for a more established veteran this offseason.

Proponents of Rice will correctly point out that his natural position is as a catcher. He's not going to displace Austin Wells as the team's starter. It's unlikely that Rice possesses the sort of defensive chops that the Yankees like for their partner for Wells.

It's difficult to gauge what kind of return New York might be able to get in exchange for the young, left-handed hitter. He was not highly-regarded as a prospect when he came to the Bronx which might prevent Cashman from really cashing in via a trade.

On the other hand, Rice is a versatile bat that can play multiple positions and flashed some real pop during his time in the majors in 2024. It only takes one team to fall in love with him and bowl the Yankees over with a trade offer. Cashman won't be desperate to move him but it's hard to imagine him breaking Spring Training with the Yankees in 2025.