MLB's biggest cheapskates could save the Yankees' offseason from Hal Steinbrenner

With less than two weeks to go until spring training, the New York Yankees' offseason remains frustratingly unfinished, unless you happen to be the only person on Earth still believing in a DJ LeMahieu renaissance in the year of our lord 2025. Brian Cashman has addressed holes in the outfield (Cody Bellinger and Jasson Dominguez), rotation (Max Fried), first base (Paul Goldschmidt) and bullpen (Devin Williams, the recently re-signed Tim Hill), but the team still has one more glaring hole in the infield, where Gleyber Torres' departure has turned things over to some combination of LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza.

That is, it goes without saying, suboptimal for a team hoping to get past the Los Angeles Dodgers and win the World Series this year. But we're into February now, and the problem remains unsolved, mostly because Hal Steinbrenner won't give Cashman the money to do so — New York is currently sitting right at the final luxury-tax threshold, a line Steinbrenner simply won't cross.

The Yankees can't add any substantial salary without shedding salary first, and doing so would likely mean finding a team willing to take on Marcus Stroman and a hefty portion of the $18 million he's owed in 2025 (not to mention his option for 2026 that vests if he throws at least 140 innings). Given how underwater that contract is, and how many other veteran starters remain on the free-agent market who can replicate 80-90 percent of Stroman's production at a fraction of the cost, Cashman's attempts to find a deal haven't gone much of anywhere.

But just when all hope seemed lost, just when Yankees fans had resigned themselves to heading into an all-important year with a black hole toward the bottom of the lineup, a savior appears to have emerged — in the form of one of the only franchises cheaper than Steinbrenner.

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The Marlins look like the last, best fit for a Marcus Stroman trade

The Miami Marlins have zero desire to compete in 2025; they've made that abundantly clear this offseason, during which they've been one of only two teams still yet to sign a single Major League free agent. (The St. Louis Cardinals are the other, if you'd like some idea of just how checked-out John Mozeliak is.) After losing 100 games in 2024, it's clear that Peter Bendix is taking his sweet time with this rebuild, and that things will get worse before they get better.

But while Bendix and Co. aren't interested in adding present talent at the moment, MLB's Collective Bargaining Agreement means that they can't afford to sit out the winter entirely. The CBA requires teams that benefit from the league's revenue-sharing arrangement to spend at least 150 percent of that money on player payroll, or else the MLBPA has grounds to file a grievance. The Marlins got some $70 million in revenue-sharing funds this past season, which means they have to hit at least $105 million in payroll expenses to keep themselves in the clear.

Right now, though, Miami is sitting at just under $84 million, a $21 million gap with less than two weeks to go until spring training. The Marlins have to find someone to take their money, and a recent report from the Miami Herald suggests the team is "considering adding a veteran starter or two in the coming days." With Eury Perez and Braxton Garrett recovering from injury and Jesus Luzardo off to the Philadelphia Phillies, Miami is left with the returning Sandy Alcantara along with Ryan Weathers, Edward Cabrera and a bunch of unproven youngsters behind them.

Which brings us back to the Yankees. The Marlins are arguably the only team in baseball for whom Stroman's contract would be an asset, rather than a liability; take on that $18 million, and suddenly you have a veteran to soak up innings as well as a payroll that will keep you out of hot water for one more year. Any normal team would have no reason to help New York out, and Cashman can't afford to miss out on this limited-time opportunity to get out from under one of his biggest mistakes.