THE YANKEES DESPERATELY NEED A STARTER:
After the Yankees missed out on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, I wrote an article discussing their desperate need for depth in the starting rotation and broke down their options. Since then, many tweets and rumors have linked New York to three of the pitchers I mentioned: Blake Snell, Dylan Cease, and Marcus Stroman. Nevertheless, Cashman and Steinbrenner are yet to pull the trigger on any pitcher.
However, the rumors have intensified over the past day or two around a Marcus Stroman signing. There have been contradicting reports. Originally, we were told that while Stroman was interested in signing with the Yankees, they weren’t on board. Then, Bob Nightengale reported, “The Yankees and free-agent starter Marcus Stroman continue to have mutual interest” and Jon Morosi added, “Stroman to the Yankees is the most likely of the Yankees’ situations right now”. Stroman might already be a Yankee by the time you’re reading this. Before we get lost in the sauce of the contradicting reports, let’s learn about who Marcus Stroman is and why he would or wouldn’t make sense for the Yankees.
MARCUS STROMAN - THE PITCHER:
Marcus Stroman debuted in 2014 with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 22-year-old kid made headlines by putting together a very complete rookie season, 11W-6L, 130 innings, and a 3.65 ERA. However, Stroman tore the ACL in his left knee in March of 2015 and only returned to make four starts that September. While the injury was indeed a major setback, Stroman didn’t let it derail his promising career. He bounced back with two strong seasons for the Jays in 2016 and 2017. In both seasons, Stroman was a workhorse, topping 30 starts and 200 innings in consecutive years. But Stroman ran into injury issues again in 2018. In 2018 he only started 19 games, barely reaching the 100-inning mark. Even when he was on the mound, 2018 wasn’t kind to Marcus Stroman, as he posted a career-high 5.54 ERA.
Now deep into arbitration and nearing free agency, Marcus Stroman was eager to restore his dominance in 2019. Over his first 21 starts, he did so in fashion. While posting a 2.96 ERA, Stroman earned his first career All-Star selection. Then, on July 28, 2019, the Toronto Blue Jays traded Stroman (along with cash considerations) to the New York Mets for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson. In 11 games with the Mets, Stroman wasn’t quite comfortable and his ERA rose to 3.77 (season total 3.22). Marcus chose to sit out the 2020 COVID-19 season before playing his final season for the Mets in 2021. Stroman’s 2021 contract year was arguably his best season to date. In 2021, Stroman started 33 games, tying his career-high while allowing a career-best 3.02 ERA.
Coming off a great year, in December of 2021 Stroman signed a $71 million, three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. The contract included an opt-out after two years, in case Stroman believes he’s outplayed the contract and can make more money in the free agent market. Marcus Stroman had a slightly underwhelming debut season in Chicago, as he failed to reach 140 innings. In 8 starts less than the previous year, he posted an ERA 0.48 runs worse. Things didn’t get better, and with Chicago not in the playoff race, speculation around a potential second Marcus Stroman trade. However, two weeks before the trade deadline, the Cubs got red-hot and won 9 out of 10 games. Now that they were in the playoff race, keeping their number 2 (arguably 3) starter around seemed like a good idea, especially since he has 5 postseason starts on his resume. Unfortunately, the Cubs fell apart in September, and by losing 15 out of their final 22 games, they cost themselves their playoff spot.
Surprisingly, after two solid but not incredible seasons in the Friendly Confines, Marcus Stroman opted out of the third year of his contract. Stroman gave up on 21 million dollars in 2024, to potentially get more in free agency. Because Yoshinobu Yamamoto got over 27 million a year from the Dodgers and Sonny Gray got 25 million per year from the Cardinals, this wasn’t a bad move by Stroman. That leaves us at the current day, as of January 11th, Marcus Stroman is a free agent. He is a solid option for the Yankees since they are desperate for another starter and can easily top the 21 million he would’ve gotten from the Cubs.
MARCUS STROMAN - THE HUMAN BEING:
Marcus Stroman has a fiery personality and is not afraid to show his passion for the game. Despite entering the year with World Series aspirations, the 2023 Yankees went 82W-80L and missed the playoffs. The team did have a handful of good pieces such as CY Young winner Gerrit Cole and 2022 MVP Aaron Judge. Nonetheless, they were seriously lacking in a few aspects, two of them being starting pitching depth and energy. The 2023 Yankees just seemed tired and bored.
They needed a spark. Therefore, Marcus Stroman would deliver a great burst of energy that the clubhouse lacked last year. Stroman would supply that energy that has been lacking in the Bronx since the departure of Didi Gregorius. In addition, his thick skin would help him strive in New York City. Unlike other players the Yankees have acquired in the past few years (Joey Gallo, Sonny Gray, and many more), Stroman would feed off the pressure instead of folding.
While Stroman’s personality is hypothetically a good fit for pinstripes, it’s simultaneously the biggest reason he wouldn’t join the Yankees. Stroman played 5 and a half seasons for the Yankees’ division rival, the Toronto Blue Jays, and then another season and a half for their crosstown rival, the New York Mets. It is safe to say that Stroman has had his fair share of heated matchups against the Yanks. In 18 games against the Yankees, Stroman has a record of 6-6 with an ERA of 4.29. Stroman showed that the rivalry had a personal impact on him in 2020 when he tweeted the following: “Besides Cole, there’s no current Yankee pitcher who will be anywhere in my league over the next 5-7 years. Their pitching always folds in the end. That lineup and payroll should be winning World Series left and right… yet they’re in a drought. Lol”. A year later, Stroman proceeded to make things worse by retweeting “This tweet will continue to age unbelievably well. Lol”.
THE YANKEES SHOULD SIGN STROMAN:
I’m more excited by Stroman’s talent and passion for the game than his Twitter/X feud with the Yankees. Stroman doesn’t hate the Yankees specifically, he uses confrontation to push himself to the next level. Stroman also has beef with other teams, such as the Mets. After he left the Mets in 2021, he blasted the Mets and former general manager Billy Eppler in since-deleted tweets. “Just look at who the Mets hired as their GM…that tells you enough”. When the Mets came to Wrigley in May, Stroman pounded on his chest and screamed into the visiting dugout. He ended up going 8 innings and picking up a win in that game, which shows me a direct affiliation between Stroman’s confrontations and his success. When Stroman couldn’t find anybody to target he randomly tweeted the following: “Some call me cocky. I say I’m confident! Huge chip on my shoulder. Not a person in the world that can bring me down. It is what it is! Lol” In the same way that Julian Edelman used to fire up Rob Gronkowski by making up stories about the opponent calling Gronkowski names, Stroman fires himself up by picking fights.
Stroman might not have the best manners, but he doesn’t need to be polite to be great in pinstripes. How different would it have ended for Joey Gallo if when the New York media criticized him, instead of folding, he said “…Huge chip on my shoulder. Not a person in the world that can bring me down. It is what it is!…” If the Yankees end up signing Marcus Stroman, the RedSox better prepare to be verbally abused… The Yankees open the season against the hated Houston Astros, so Jose Altuve might want to check out https://www.evoshield.com/en-us.
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