At least for the moment, New York Yankees fans can relax a little. Their team has addressed desperate pitching needs and has reportedly signed Marcus Stroman on a two-year, $37 million contract. For anyone else, this would amount to a major signing but for the old-school Pinstripes, the next obvious step seems to be to sign Blake Snell. But times have changed and these are the new-age Yankees, which worries Bronx fans.

There is a reason why the Yankees got the moniker “The Big Evil Empire.” Under the late George Steinbrenner, the Pinstripes were everywhere. Linked with every superstar, they were a perennial presence in the free-agent market. But gone are the ultra-competitive Pinstripes; in their place, we have a pragmatic entity. Could this mean the Snell links are going down? 

Marcus Stroman deal—An alarming signal for Blake Snell

Some reports stated that the Bronx regiment was interested in Blake Snell. With Jordan Montgomery eliciting huge competition, Snellzilla seemed like the best chance for the Yankees to fill their pitching gap. But then entered Marcus Stroman and everything turned on its head. Suddenly the Snell-Yankee love affair had turned into a triangle with Snell getting pushed out. 

According to MLB insider Mike Rodriguez, the Yankees offered Snell a 5 year $150 million contract which the Cy Young winner rejected. He reportedly wanted either a bigger pay or one more year added to the deal. This deal would’ve amounted to a $30 million salary, something that would’ve increased the pressure on the Yankees’ payroll.

The Bronx payroll currently stands at over $294 million—the highest in the league. With the team crossing the threshold consecutively, the penalties will be heavy this year. This wouldn’t have affected the Yankees of the yore but the current Yankees could get spooked by this. So spooked that they might prefer waiting till the deadline instead of offering more money to Snell.

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So it is increasingly looking like a tough situation for the Snell-Bronx connection. Especially since after the Stroman deal, the Bombers’ bullpen needs have been somewhat satisfied.

The improved pitching staff of the New York Yankees 

It’s already known that the Yankees are willing to give another chance to Carlos Rodon this year. While their ace Gerrit Cole is ever present, Clarke Schmidt too could improve upon his breakthrough in 2023. Now with an All-Star Stroman in the team, the rotation looks stable. Barring any injuries, the Yankees may have created a lineup they can use till the deadline.

All of this could mean that the Snell links are over. But one cannot be too sure about it yet. While most insiders have reported about the offer getting rejected, none have reported about the talks being off. So things could still move in this story.

Read more: Blake Snell’s Free Agency Set to Extend Past Spring Training? Scott Boras Plays Waiting Game, Eyes Mega Deal