After a winter of speculation about Marcus Stroman being traded, he was with all the other New York Yankees pitchers on the first day of workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. While Yankees manager Aaron Boone said they were focused on getting the veteran right-hander ready to pitch this season, the Yankees are still interested in trading Stroman and his $18.5 million salary before the season starts.
The Yankees knew they would have more leverage in a trade this spring once teams got to camp and assessed their pitching. That may be starting to play out with another team likely to need some starting pitching after the news of the injury.
The Detroit Tigers admitted that started Alex Cobb will miss at least the first month of the season after suffering a hip injury.
The Tigers join a growing number of teams that need to add pitching. Those teams include the Atlanta Braves, the San Diego Padres, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Miami Marlins.
As more injuries are revealed the list will grow as well.
Stroman signed the two-year $37-million deal last offseason and made 30 appearances, including 29 starts for the Yankees in 2024. He went 9-10 with a 4.31 ERA, his highest since 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays. After a decent first half, posting a 3.31 ERA, Stroman blew up in his last 11 appearances, allowing 33 earned runs in 49 ⅔ innings. He did not appear in the Yankees' playoff run to the World Series.
Stroman's home (5.31 ERA) and road (3.09) splits also give the Yankees an angle to sell the veteran right-hander.
Boone said he spoke with Stroman before the first workout, and they were making the most of what could have been an "awkward situation."
"The situation is what it is," Boone explained. "We have a lot of guys that you would expect to be starting pitchers in the big leagues, Marcus being one of those. … The cream rises to the top, and I feel like it'll work itself out. But right now, it's about getting him ready to go to be a real contributor."
