Righty pitcher Marcus Stroman, has reached a two-year, $37 million deal with the Yankees. The contract includes a vesting player option, enhancing New York’s rotation with a two-time All-Star.

At 32, Stroman earned a spot on the National League team with a 2.96 ERA in the first half of 2023 with the Chicago Cubs, ranking fourth in the NL. However, injuries limited him to six starts and two relief appearances in the second half, resulting in 23 earned runs in 24 innings and a season-long ERA of 3.95.

Despite this, the Yankees pursued him to bolster their rotation, featuring the current American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole and some uncertainties. Left-hander Carlos Rodon struggled in the initial season of his six-year, $162 million contract. The rotation is anticipated to be completed by Nestor Cortes (4.97 ERA in 63.1 innings) and Clarke Schmidt (4.64 ERA in 159 innings).

If Stroman achieves 140 innings in 2025, sources indicate that an $18 million third-year option would automatically activate. Although he pitched 136.2 innings last season and 138.2 in 2022, he has surpassed the 140-inning mark on four occasions before.

Stroman’s best pitch is the sinker, boasts the second-highest ground ball rate (56.7%) among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings since his debut in 2014. Hailing from Long Island, he holds a career record of 77-76 with a 3.65 ERA, having been selected by Toronto in the first round of the 2012 draft.

In his 9th season in the MLB, Stroman is set to join his fourth team in the last six seasons. He started his career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, played for the New York Mets from 2019 to 2021, spent two years with the Cubs, and opted out of a $21 million salary for the current season.

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By: Vincent Quezada

Photo Credit: Jamie Sabau/ Getty Images