It wasn’t too long ago when Marcus Stroman was one of the most promising pitchers in baseball. The two-time All-Star had a 3.09 ERA for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2017 and a 3.02 ERA across a league-leading 33 starts for the New York Mets in 2021. So, what went wrong?
Things took a turn after Stroman was named to his second All-Star team in 2023. The New York native, who pitched for the Chicago Cubs at that point, missed time in the second half of that season with right hip inflammation and a rib cartilage fracture. He finished the year 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA across 27 appearances.
Stroman then opted for free agency, signing a two-year, $37 million deal with the New York Yankees, including an $18 million player option for 2026 if he tosses 140 innings in 2025. That would’ve been a reasonable deal for prime Stroman, but that’s not what the Yankees got last season.
The 2017 World Baseball Classic MVP had one of his worst years, going 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA across 30 appearances. His ERA was the third-highest of his career, while his 1.88 strikeout/walk ratio was his lowest. His 1.47 WHIP was also his second-highest mark.
New York wasn’t impressed, which is why it demoted him to the bullpen in September and didn’t use him in the playoffs. The Yankees left him off the ALDS roster before bringing him back for the ALCS and World Series, but Aaron Boone never called his number.
With 2024 All-Star Max Fried now in the fold and Clarke Schmidt healthy again, Stroman’s $18 million salary is wasteful for the Bronx Bombers. Gerrit Cole, Fried, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil and Schmidt all performed better last year, and there’s no sense in paying that much for a sixth starter. For context, Schmidt will make just $3.6 million in 2025 and posted a 2.85 ERA in 16 appearances.
However, a pitching surplus is never a bad thing. Eating innings is important in a 162-game season, especially if one of the other starters goes down. Although Stroman didn’t have his best year, he was still valuable while Schmidt missed three-and-a-half months with a right lat strain.
The best of both worlds is to trade Stroman to fill another hole and save money, like getting a cheap left-handed reliever. The Athletics’ T.J. McFarland would make sense, as the 35-year-old will make just $1.8 million this season and posted a 3.81 ERA across 56.2 innings last year.
This would free up more cash for New York to fill other needs, like finding another third or second baseman. The club’s tax payroll is estimated at $302.9 million, just over the highest luxury-tax threshold of $301 million, via Cot’s Contracts.
There are still almost two months until Opening Day on March 27, so the Yankees have time to get something done. If they don’t, Stroman likely won’t pitch as much as last year, which would be bad for both parties. A trade would allow the Yankees to get a return for him while they still can, and he’d likely get more playing time with whoever trades for him.