I’ll admit it: Marcus Stroman wasn’t my guy at first. When the Yankees signed him, I groaned. This guy? The one who tweets like he’s running for office and talks like he invented baseball? No thanks. But then he put on the pinstripes, flashed that “I’d die for the Bronx” energy, and—what can I say? He grew on me like a late-summer mustache. Turns out, the dude really loves being a Yankee, and on top of that, he’s a stellar teammate. By midseason, I was ready to buy a Stroman jersey. That's not true, but he was fun to watch early in the Bronx no doubt.
But now? It might be time to pack up the #StroShow. Why? Because, well, Stroman absolutely fell apart at the end of the season. I’m talking Titanic hitting the iceberg levels of disaster. He didn’t just lose steam—he lost the whole locomotive. The Yankees couldn’t even trust him to pitch in the playoffs, and for a team with championship aspirations, that’s a huge neon-red warning sign.
On the Baseball Insiders podcast this week, FanSided’s Robert Murray didn’t mince words: “A Marcus Stroman trade would appear more likely than not.” Translation? Stroman’s got one foot out the door and the other on a banana peel.
Here’s the deal: Stroman, now 33, is heading into Year 2 of his two-year, $37 million contract. He’s owed $18.3 million in 2025, with a vesting option for 2026 if he throws 140 innings. That’s all fine and dandy, but after posting a 10-8 record with a 4.07 ERA—and, oh yeah, losing his rotation spot to Nestor Cortes Jr. in September—it’s safe to say the Yankees aren’t thrilled.
The real eyebrow-raiser? Post-All-Star break, Stroman was more pumpkin than pitcher, with a 3-4 record and a 5.40 ERA over nine starts. Things got so bad he was exiled to the bullpen on September 13. Trading him now wouldn’t just be about cutting losses; it’d also free up a chunk of payroll the Yankees could use to snag bigger fish in free agency.
Enter Newsweek’s Zach Pressnell, who’s got a trade idea hotter than New York in August. He suggests shipping Stroman, pitching prospect Will Warren, and outfield prospect Francisco Vilorio to the Astros for starter Framber Valdez.
“This trade works for the Yankees in two ways. First, they get another ace-caliber pitcher to pair with Gerrit Cole and Max Fried. Second, they clear Stroman’s remaining contract, freeing up money to chase Alex Bregman or Christian Walker in free agency.”
Now, will this happen? Who knows. The Yankees don’t exactly have a history of giving up on high-profile signings after one bad stretch (cough, Joey Gallo, cough). But if I’m a betting man, I’d say Stroman’s time in pinstripes is nearing its final curtain call. As much as I’ve come to appreciate him, it’s hard to ignore the writing on the wall—or the pitching stats on the scoreboard.
So, farewell, Marcus? You came, you saw, you… kind of fizzled. But hey, at least you made me a fan. Sort of.
