The Yankees lost a game to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, which they easily should’ve won. If not for a horrible start from Marcus Stroman, the offense was capable of doing enough damage to give the Yankees their sixth consecutive win. Still, they fell short due to the veteran putting together another disappointing performance.
The Yankees Need More From Marcus Stroman
Entering the game, Stroman had a 3.65 ERA, but following the game, he sat at 4.10, including a 4.82 xERA. Stroman’s underlying metrics are incredibly problematic, considering his strikeouts are down, and his velocity is down significantly.
Stroman hosts a 76.1% left on base and a career-low 48.6% ball rate. He’s giving up 1.39 runs per nine, the highest in his career, and 3.79 walks per nine, another personal record. Across the board, Stroman is experiencing regression, which can mainly be attributed to his lack of velocity. Stroman is throwing his sinker at 35.5% this season, down from 46.4% last year. While it averaged 91.4 mph in 2023, it sits at 89.9 in 2024, which is highly concerning.
Opposing hitters are batting .294 against his sinker, a pitch that has dipped 6% in vertical movement compared to last season. The numbers are troubling, and the Yankees desperately need Stroman to live up to his potential, coming off a solid 2023 season that saw him record a 3.95 ERA but excellent numbers before battling injury during the second half of the season.
Unplayable in Big Games
At this point, Stroman is becoming unplayable in big games, especially if the Yankees need him during the postseason. At this rate, they can’t get Clarke Schmidt back fast enough in the rotation, and Stroman should, unfortunately, be the odd man out in the equation.
Marcus isn’t the only pitcher experiencing volatility; Nestor Cortes has been inconsistent, and Carlos Rodon has also been unpredictable. Rodon has been performing much better as of late, but Stroman’s regression is clear cut. He’s given up 15 runs, including 12 earned and his last three games combined, totaling just 11.1 innings. He managed only 2.2 innings against Toronto on Friday, giving up seven earned runs over eight hits.
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With Stroman trending in the wrong direction, the Yankees may have some difficult decisions to make down the stretch in the rotation. In addition, the Yankees have him under contract next year at $18.5 million, and the 2026 season becomes a player option if he tosses over 140 innings next year. This is seemingly turning out to be a horrible decision from General Manager Brian Cashman, who had a number of starters to consider but inked Stroman late this past winter just to add another body to the mix.