Right-hander Marcus Stroman and the Yankees are in agreement on a two-year, $37 million contract that includes a vesting player option, sources told ESPN on Thursday, lengthening New York’s rotation with a two-time All-Star.
Stroman, 32, made the National League team after posting a 2.96 ERA in the first half of 2023 with the Chicago Cubs, the fourth-best mark in the NL. He made only six starts (along with two relief appearances) in the second half after suffering hip and rib injuries and allowed 23 earned runs in 24 innings, pulling his season-long ERA down to 3.95.
The Yankees, nevertheless, sought him to help fill out a rotation that includes reigning American League Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole and a handful of question marks. Left-hander Carlos Rodon faltered in the first season of a six-year, $162 million deal. The rotation is expected to be rounded out by Nestor Cortes (4.97 ERA in 63⅓ innings) and Clarke Schmidt (4.64 ERA in 159 innings).
A third-year option for $18 million would vest if Stroman reaches 140 innings in 2025, sources said. He threw 136⅔ innings last season and 138.2 in 2022 but has exceeded 140 four times previously.
The Yankees have sought a starter to add to their offseason acquisition of outfielder Juan Soto, and with the price tag for NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell too high for their liking, they pivoted to Stroman, as the New York Post first reported.
A nine-year veteran, Stroman will join his fourth team in six seasons after beginning his career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014, spending 2019 to 2021 with the New York Mets and staying with the Cubs for two years before opting out of a $21 million salary for this season.
Stroman, whose sinker is his most effective pitch, has the second-highest ground ball rate (56.7%) among pitchers with at least 1,000 innings since his 2014 debut. Stroman, who grew up on Long Island, is 77-76 over his career with a 3.65 ERA after being chosen by Toronto in the first round of the 2012 draft.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers contributed to this report.
