After missing the first day of New York Yankees spring training, Marcus Stroman made his return on Friday. However, he took a bold stance about his position on the roster that will make trading him before the start of the season even harder.
There is a great deal of hope and excitement surrounding the Yankees heading into 2025 spring training. Yes, they lost the Juan Soto sweepstakes this offseason to in-city rivals the New York Mets. However, they rebounded from the loss with several notable moves this fall/winter.
While they lost an MVP candidate from 2024, many around the game think this retooled New York roster is better than last year’s. New additions Max Fried and Devin Williams will make their pitching staff far better. And former NL MVPs Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt are also plus additions to the roster. However, general manager Brian Cashman will look for other ways to tweak the team before the season starts next month.
One rumored move Cashman wants to make is to trade two-time All-Star Marcus Stroman. After an underwhelming first season in the Bronx, he looks to be the odd man out of the rotation following Fried’s addition. However, trading him has not been easy thus far. And the 33-year-old may have made it even harder this week.
- Marcus Stroman stats (2024): 10-9 record, 4.31 ERA, 1.468 WHIP, 113 strikeouts, 154.2 innings pitched
Marcus Stroman unwilling to move to the New York Yankees bullpen
“I won’t pitch in the bullpen. I’m a starter,” Stroman told the media in his first interview at 2025 New York Yankees spring training. “That’s me making the most basic, brief statement. Go look at the numbers. How many people can stay healthy and do it 30+ starts year after year? I’m a starter.”
Stroman has developed a reputation throughout his career as sometimes being difficult to work with and rubbing teammates the wrong way. Obviously, he signed with the Yankees to be a starter for the team he grew up loving. However, his unwillingness to be flexible could turn off the few teams that might be interested in trading for him.
- Marcus Stroman contract (2024): Two years, $37 million
If an injury occurs to one of the Yankees’ five projected starters Stroman can easily slot into their spot. But if that doesn’t happen things could get very awkward in New York the longer this situation stretches out.