Details have emerged regarding the Yankees’ 2 year contract with RHP Marcus Stroman after news broke via Stroman’s social media account of the pending deal late Thursday night.
The 32 year old will join New York on a 2 year, $37M contract which includes a vesting player option. A third year option will become available if Stroman reaches 140 IP in 2025 according to initial reports.
The former Cub will now join a rotation that features Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, and Clarke Schmidt. The Yankees have been in the market for starting pitching for much of the offseason. And after missing out on both Shohei Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, were forced to adjust their plans accordingly.
The Medford, NY native posted a 10-9 record in 2023 with Chicago, alongside a 3.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 119 K’s across 136.2 IP. Stroman had a brilliant first half of the season, recording a 2.96 ERA, but struggled after the All-Star break as he dealt with a variety of injuries to his hips and ribs. After suiting up for the NL All-Stars, the righty managed to record only 24 IP, giving up 23 earned runs along the way.
Stroman ultimately opted out of a $21M deal with the Cubs for 2024, in an effort to join a contender and secure a multi-year deal. The Long Island native now returns home after having previously spent two seasons with the Mets between 2019 and 2021.
With the signing, New York is believed to be out of the Blake Snell sweepstakes, as the 2023 NL Cy Young award winner’s price tag may have been more than the Yankees were willing to commit. After acquiring Juan Soto via trade this offseason, New York’s front office will be seeking to sign the 25 year old star to a mega extension following his 1 year deal signed yesterday to avoid arbitration.
New York’s pitching staff were ranked 10th in ERA (3.97), 3rd in BA (.234), and 12th in strikeouts (1439) last season. Stroman will be counted on to fill the hole left by Jhony Brito who was sent to San Diego as part of the Soto deal earlier this winter.
Photo: Vtravelled.com. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.