A new report has revealed the various reasons why the New York Yankees made a surprising about-face when it came to their interest in making star pitcher Marcus Stroman a member of their roster in 2024.
Last week the Yankees made a major move to address a primary goal heading into the offseason. After failing in their pursuit of Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and not finding a reasonable price for National League Cy Young Blake Snell, the organization came to terms with two-time All-Star Marcus Stroman.
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The deal was a bit of a surprise because a week before adding him to their starting rotation reports came out that the nine-year veteran’s reps had reached out to the organization over his interest in joining the franchise. But the Yankees reportedly ignored New York native’s advances.
Yet, when it became clear that Snell’s asking price was not going to come down — and likewise for Yankees veteran Jordan Montgomery — the team shifted gears and quickly agreed to a contract with Stroman. The pitcher seemed like an odd fit for the Yankees due to his outspoken nature causing issues in previous stops. And despite his age, the 33-year-old had developed a reputation around the sport as immature and volatile.
- Marcus Stroman contract from Yankees: 2 years, $37 million
Marcus Stroman reportedly took less to join New York Yankees
However, with the options at the upper levels of the pitching market limited this month, NJ.com reports that the New York Yankees underwent a “thorough background check” on Stroman to see if he could be a good fit for them next season. In their investigation, it seems two major standouts led to their change of stance and decision to sign him.
Firstly, the outlet reports that while “reports from around the industry were less than glowing” about Stroman, the organization tried to get closer to the player’s inner circle to glean some key information on his mindset. Using that strategy, the team reportedly spoke to the pitcher’s father Earl, a detective in the Suffolk County police department.
They then had team leaders Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, and manager Aaron Boone speak with him about his interest in joining the pinstripes, and the overwhelming opinion that came out of the conversations was that Stroman “has grown up.”
However, that wasn’t the only reason the organization shifted gears on Stroman. The NJ.com report also reveals that both the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels made a strong push to sign him this month. And the belief around the sport is that the All-Star’s desire to play for the New York Yankees was so strong, he took less money to play in the Bronx.
“That told us Marcus was serious about playing with guys like Judge and Cole,” a member of the organization told the outlet. “That said a lot.”
