Marcus Stroman and the Yankees have come to agreement for two years with an option averaging $18.5M a season.
The Deal
The New York Yankees have made their second biggest splash of the offseason, this time on the pitching side. On Thursday, they came to an agreement with right hander SP Marcus Stroman on a two-year deal. This was a deal that no one expected considering the bad blood history Stroman has with the Yankees. By the way it’s looking, New York may have found their next starting pitcher that they have been looking to add to the rotation. But this shouldn’t be the end for the Yankees in their pursuit of starting pitching. They’re expected to look for at least one more starter on the trade market or through free agency.
In 2023, Stroman pitched in 27 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2023, making 25 starts. In those games, he posted a record of 10-9 with an ERA of 3.95. He did lead the NL with an ERA of 2.98 on June 20 and earned a spot on the All-Star team. He even looked like a trade candidate before the Cubs got back in the race. Unfortunately, his ERA started to skyrocket due to an injury that forced him to sit out from Aug 2. to Sept. 15. He did not throw more than three innings in any of his final five appearances.
Stroman will now join a rotation that features the defending AL C Young winner, right-hander SP Gerrit Cole, SP Carlos Rodón and SP Nestor Cortes, both lefties whom coming off injury seasons, and righty SP Clarke Schmidt.
Why The Deal Could Work for Both Sides
There’s plenty of reason for why this deal could work for both Stroman and the Yankees. One of the reasons it could work is due to experience. Marcus does have some familiarity when to comes to pitching in the AL East, which is no surprise. He pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2014-2019. During that span, he finished with a record of 47-45 with an ERA of 3.7 and 635 strikeouts. Those numbers just show how solid a pitcher like Stroman can be. But that isn’t the only familiar team Stroman has played with. He has also played with the New York Mets back in 2019 and 2021. In a full ’21 season, he finished with a record of 10-13 with an ERA of 3.02 and 158 strikeouts.
Aside from the numbers Stroman has put on display, he does have good stuff in him. He is known for being a ground-ball specialist. Last year, Stroman had a ground rate of 57.4 which is in the 94th percentile, according to Baseball Savant. In addition, he is very good in keeping the ball in the ballpark which could be a factor heading into 2024. Back in 2023, he only allowed nine home runs which just goes to show what kind of effective pitcher he can be.
Another reason why this deal could work is due to innings eating. The Yankees obviously cannot always rely on Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, or Carlos Rodón to give seven strong innings on a daily basis. Part of the reason for that is due to injury seasons that some of these pitchers are coming off of. Marcus could give the Yankees what they expected out of him, which is some consistency.
Since making his major league debut back in 2014, Stroman has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game. He joins Cole, SPs Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Chris Sale, and Sonny Gray as the only pitchers to have at least seven seasons of 20-plus starts and FIP under 4.00.
What’s Next
After getting Marcus Stroman, the Yankees still need another starting pitcher, likely through trade or free agency. It was reported earlier by Jon Heyman that they offered left hander SP Blake Snell a contract. The years and the amount of the contract are unknown. But there are rumors about it. One source stated the Yankees offer for Snell was $150M over five years ($30M AAV). As of right now, both sides are still apart. It’s uncertain if the Yankees are willing to go over $200 million, which Snell is asking for.
Then there is the trade market. The Yankees do have some options on the table if they were to turn to the trade market. The first pitcher that comes to mind is right-hander SP Dylan Cease. There was mutual interest between the Yankees and Cease. Right now, it’s not looking too good. The White Sox recently just said they were going to hold on to him for now unless they were to get a trade package that would satisfy them.
Another option would be Guardians ace SP Shane Bieber. Now to be clear, Bieber has not been that same guy that you expect him to be due to injuries and his velocity dropping. Though he would be a great addition to a Yankees team that is seeking to add more pitching. The good news about trading for a guy like Bieber is that the price wouldn’t be hefty unlike a Cease deal. For now, Stroman stabilizes the rotation.
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