This offseason, the New York Yankees are still trying to improve their pitching staff. They have been chasing free agency left-handers Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Jordan Montgomery after missing out on the Yoshinobu Yamamoto sweepstakes. They have also been connected to trade targets like Dylan Cease. But starting pitcher Marcus Stroman has suddenly become available as a free agent for the Yankees.
When Stroman was still with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Yankees had previously made him a trade deadline target. After pitching for the Mets for almost a season and a half (he chose not to play in the Covid-shortened 2020 season), he was eventually traded to the New York Mets during that deadline. He then became a free agent and accepted a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. Following two seasons in the Windy City, Stroman chose to reenter free agency by opting out of his contract. After making 25 starts and pitching 136.2 innings, he concluded the 2023 campaign with a 10-9 record, 3.95 ERA, 3.58 FIP, and 1.259 WHIP.
Known for being a pitch-to-contract pitcher, Stroman finished the previous season with an astounding 57.1% ground ball rate. His career FIP and ERA are 3.63 and 3.65, respectively. He has tossed at least 100 innings every year since 2015, which makes him a very solid member of a starting rotation. With a career 0.8 HR/9 rate—his 0.6 HR/9 in 2023 was a career high—Stanan is also adept at keeping the ball inside the park.
But Stroman has also been a vocal opponent of Yankee fans off the field, and he has regrettably had several run-ins and arguments with them. Despite having pitched in the spotlight in New York during his time with the Mets, he left Queens under controversial circumstances after criticizing former general manager Billy Eppler in since-deleted tweets.
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