Marcus Stroman showed up at Yankees camp Friday with a clear message: He’s not interested in moving to the bullpen.
"I’m a starter," the veteran pitcher declared firmly.
The drama started Thursday when Stroman was notably absent from camp, something Yankees manager Aaron Boone called an "awkward situation." His absence raised eyebrows, especially with trade rumors swirling around the 5-foot-7 right-hander.
Stroman didn’t hold back when he arrived.
"I’ve been a starter my entire career, go look at the numbers," he told reporters. "How many people can stay healthy and make 30 starts year after year after year, especially being one that they said could never do it at my size?"
He’s got a point about durability. Stroman has hit the 30-start mark four times in his career, though not since 2021. He’s made 25, 25, and 29 starts over the past three seasons.
But there’s a bigger issue: performance.
The 33-year-old struggled badly down the stretch last season, posting an ugly 8.29 ERA in his final 11 appearances. His overall numbers weren’t great either – a 4.31 ERA across 154â…” innings, below league average. The Yankees didn’t even use him during their playoff run.
The rotation picture got more complicated when New York landed Max Fried this offseason. Here’s how their likely starting five shapes up:
- Gerrit Cole
- Max Fried
- Carlos Rodón
- Luis Gil
- Clarke Schmidt
That leaves Stroman as the odd man out, potentially headed for bullpen duty – something he clearly wants to avoid.
The Yankees are still trying to trade him, but there’s always a chance an injury opens up a spot. After all, Cole himself got hurt in spring training just last year.
Boone seemed to leave the door open Friday: "Reality is we’re getting 10-11 guys ready to be starters and who knows how many of them you’ll have to use right away."
