Marcus Stroman has officially joined the Yankees, as announced by the team on Wednesday. According to sources, the right-hander inked a two-year contract for $37 million to become part of their starting rotation. In order to accommodate Stroman on the 40-man roster, outfielder Oscar Gonzalez has been designated for assignment.
The Yankees had claimed Gonzalez off waivers from Cleveland in December, but since then, they have bolstered their outfield by adding Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, and Alex Verdugo.
Stroman, at 32 years old, will be part of a starting rotation led by Gerrit Cole. However, there are uncertainties beyond Cole, with only Clarke Schmidt, among the current roster pitchers, surpassing the 100-inning mark last season. Injuries affected Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortes. Luis Severino has moved on to the Mets, and the Yankees also sacrificed pitching depth in the trade for Soto and Grisham, losing Michael King, Jhony Brito, and Randy Vasquez—all of whom contributed in The Bronx last season.
The Yankees had attempted to sign top Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but he opted for the Dodgers. Consequently, other available pitchers in the free-agent market included Blake Snell, who was considered more expensive than Stroman, and Jordan Montgomery, whom the Yankees traded away two years ago due to doubts about his playoff success.
