Former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is going to be looking for a new home.
The New York Yankees decided to release Stroman on Friday afternoon, less than 24 hours after he was able to pick up a win over the Tampa Bay Rays in a start where he gave up four runs in five innings.
Despite the win, it was another shaky outing for Stroman, who’s pitched to a 6.23 ERA through 39 innings this season.
This marked Stroman’s second season with the Yankees, after he had agreed to a two-year, $37-million deal ahead of the 2024 campaign. The signing never worked out as planned, with several reports coming out during the offseason that the Yankees were looking to unload Stroman’s contract.
This means that Stroman, 34, is now a free agent and can latch on with any team for the stretch run of the season. Whether teams think he is better off continuing as a starting pitcher or perhaps being used out of the bullpen remains to be seen. He put up a mediocre 4.31 ERA in 29 starts with the Yankees in 2024.
Despite Stroman’s struggles over the past two seasons, he isn’t far removed from success, as he appeared in the second All-Star game of his career in 2023 as a member of the Chicago Cubs. His first All-Star appearance came during his final season with the Blue Jays in 2019, a season in which he wound up being dealt to the New York Mets.
Given his lengthy track record, Stroman is almost certain to find work elsewhere for the remainder of the 2025 season, but he will need to pitch well to prove that he can still be a starter going forward as he becomes set to hit the free-agent pool this offseason.