The Chicago White Sox are in such a tough spot heading into MLB free agency. While they’ll want to acquire young talent, they just need to move their roster in the right direction.
With such a poor starting rotation, the White Sox should give Marcus Stroman a shot and see if he can help them. Stroman, at 34 years old, won’t be the team’s long-term option, but this isn’t a massive move.
Not many teams are going to be super interested in Stroman after his rough few years, which means the White Sox should be able to sign him for very cheap. Here’s the idea behind the White Sox signing an older player.
In my recent article, a similar thought process of why the White Sox should sign Luis Arraez applies here.
“Even if Arraez isn’t at his peak by the time the White Sox are legitimate contenders, he could play a crucial part in pushing this organization back in the right direction.”
Below, we’ll dive a bit more into the logistics and break down how Stroman has played over the past few seasons.
This is a PREDICTION, not a REPORT.
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Marcus Stroman Joining Chicago White Sox in MLB Free Agency
On a baseline level, Stroman easily had the worst year of his MLB career, posting a -0.3 WAR and also a 6.23 ERA. In fact, Stroman was actually released by the New York Yankees this past season.
However, the two years before that from Stroman weren’t too bad. Stroman had a 0.8 WAR mark in 2024, a 10-9 record, and a 4.31 ERA. Then in 2023, that was a 1.2 WAR mark, 10-9 record, and 3.95 ERA.
If Stroman can play close to his 2023 self, he’ll be a useful upgrade in the back half of the White Sox rotation. Now, rather than selling White Sox fans a dream about how Stroman is going to be elite, you need to be realistic.
The deal would need to be a very cheap one where you can bet on the upside, but still take into account how much risk there is. Now, if the White Sox can do that, this is a move worth making. If not, don’t chase and overpay for Stroman.
How Marcus Stroman Fits with the Chicago White Sox
It shouldn’t be a shock that this White Sox rotation isn’t the best. Per Fangraphs, Yoendrys Gómez is projected to be the team’s fifth starter.
Gómez is 26 years old, and there’s a good chance that he’ll take over for Stroman if things don’t get better for the veteran. However, Gómez has been in the MLB for three years and hasn’t shown much.
In 2025, Gómez pitched in 21 games in which he had a 5.17 ERA. With Stroman, it’s unlikely, but if he can slightly turn back the clock, he has a ton of juice.
Marcus Stroman Stats
The 2025 season was a rough one for Stroman as he only pitched in nine games on the year. During that time, Stroman had a -0.3 WAR, a 3-2 record, and a 6.23 ERA.
On top of that, Stroman had a 1.538 WHIP mark and a SO/BB mark of 1.63. Signing Stroman wouldn’t be a massive signing for the White Sox, but they’re one of the few teams where it makes sense to give him just one more shot.