Yankees trade deadline haul has already put this veteran out of a job

It may not have been AJ Preller's all-time heater, but the New York Yankees were still one of the most aggressive teams in the league ahead of Thursday evening's trade deadline. Having already acquired a new third baseman Ryan McMahon and bench depth in Amed Rosario, Brian Cashman brought in four more players in a span of just a few hours — including three impact relievers in David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird that totally overhauled New York's beleaguered bullpen.

That's a lot of change in not a lot of time, and to make room for the new additions, someone was bound to be on the chopping block. We just didn't expect it to be this someone in particular: On Friday afternoon, the Yankees announced that they were releasing veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman, who just started Thursday's win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

It's a stunning move from Brian Cashman for a number of reasons. For one, Stroman had been pitching a bit better of late, with a 4.55 ERA in his last six starts since injuries thrust him back into the team's rotation in late June — not great by any means, but also not terrible for a fifth starter. And with so much in flux with the Yankees' starting staff right now, Stroman would have been the easy status quo, a more known quantity to take some pressure off of youngsters like Cam Schlittler and Will Warren.

With this decision, though, New York has decided that the future is now. It's the sort of bold swing that Cashman has been hesitant to make in the past, and it just might be the thing that elevates this Yankees team down the stretch.

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Yankees announce they mean business with shock Marcus Stroman release

To be clear, there's plenty of risk involved here. Stroman came with more or less zero upside at this point in his career, but the options behind him — specifically top prospect Cam Schlittler — have yet to prove that they're ready to start at the Major League level. The safety net is gone; the Yankees have committed to handing Schlittler the ball every fifth day, even once Luis Gil makes his return from the IL this weekend.

Is Schlittler up for it? That remains to be seen. The stuff is not in question, with a fastball that can get up into the triple-digits and a wicked curveball and slider. Harnessing it consistently very much is, and has been the main bugaboo during his rookie season so far. But the Yankees have decided that they're ready to find out the answer in the midst of a tight playoff chase, confident that it will leave them better off in the long run.

Maybe Schlittler struggles and costs the Yankees games they can ill afford. But New York was going to part ways with Stroman sooner rather than later; there's a zero percent chance he was going to take up a spot on a hypothetical postseason roster. So, rather than confine itself to three or four runs in four or five innings every fifth day, the team decided to take a swing, confident that it now has the bullpen to help carry the burden if Schlittler experiences some understandable growing pains. The Yankees still have very good odds at reaching the postseason, either as a division winner or a Wild Card team, and they can afford to see what they have in one of their brightest young arms (while also showcasing him in the event of a big trade this winter).