Report: Yankees, Stroman agree to 2-year, $37M deal

The Stro Show is coming to the Bronx.

The New York Yankees and two-time All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman have agreed to a two-year, $37-million contract with a vesting option for 2026, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

If Stroman pitches 140 innings in 2025, he'll gain a player option for the next season, according to the Post's Joel Sherman. Should he pick up the option, the contract would become a three-year, $55-million deal.

Completion of the agreement is pending a physical.

Stroman, a Long Island native, teased the signing on Instagram on Thursday evening, when he posted a photoshopped picture of himself in a Yankees uniform.

Stroman is no stranger to the Yankees or the AL East. He had many battles against the Bronx Bombers during his days with the Toronto Blue Jays. He nearly became a Yankee at the 2019 trade deadline, but when general manager Brian Cashman balked at Toronto's asking price - former top prospect Clint Frazier - the Blue Jays instead dealt him to the crosstown Mets.

"We were interested in Stroman, but we didn't think he would be a difference-maker," Cashman said in 2019, a quote that later drew Stroman's ire on social media. "We felt he would be in our bullpen in the postseason."

Both sides were apparently able to put the past behind them, as Cashman and Stroman met in person this week in Tampa to iron out the contract, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

Stroman opted out of the final year of his deal with the Chicago Cubs after posting a 3.95 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 119 strikeouts and one shutout in 136.2 innings last season. He was named to the NL All-Star team on the heels of a dominant first half but struggled down the stretch while battling injuries.

Over nine big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, Mets, and Cubs, Stroman owns a 77-76 record with a 3.65 ERA, 3.63 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, and 1,091 strikeouts. The right-hander was a core piece of Toronto's playoff teams in 2015 and '16.

He'll provide a much-needed boost to the Yankees' rotation behind ace Gerrit Cole. New York had been desperately seeking rotation help following disappointing seasons from Carlos Rodón and Nestor Cortes Jr., and a depletion of depth after trading several arms for Juan Soto.

YANKEES' PROJECTED 2024 ROTATION

Stroman has historically struggled at Yankee Stadium, owning a 6.06 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with eight homers allowed in 11 starts at the ballpark. However, his tendencies as a ground-ball pitcher - his 57.4% ground-ball rate last year would have led Yankees starters - should also play well in his new home.

The Yankees had been casting a wide net in their search for pitching before signing Stroman. They reportedly made reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell an offer on Thursday, although the sides are apparently far apart.