The Yankees didn’t break the bank for mediocrity, but here we are—counting on a $37 million arm to keep the rotation from collapsing like a cheap deck chair. With Gerrit Cole sidelined among others and panic setting in, all eyes turn to a man who now carries more than just a hefty paycheck. The Bronx spotlight isn’t always forgiving—time to earn that contract, man!

Will the bad news for the Yankees fans ever stop coming? With two of their top pitchers out, the Yankees are banking on Marcus Stroman to get on the driving chair and steer this ship back on course. Will he be able to do it is a different question.

During a podcast with Buster Olney, he asks Jorge Castillo what the condition of their pitching rotation is. Castillo says, “We began spring training talking about Marcus Stroman. Is he going to get traded? Is he not going to get traded? They want to trade him for $18.5 million, he shows up. He says, ‘I am a starter, I am not going to be a reliever,’ and turns out he is right. He is going to be a starter.”

Before the spring began, there was already some heat between the Yankees and Stroman on the pitching position. Once the Yankees signed Max Fried, they basically suggested that the 33-year-old would be squeezed out of a spot in their 2025 starting rotation. But we also have to look at the fact that he’s been in MLB for almost a decade now as a starting pitcher so it’s not exactly a wonder why he is not embracing the bullpen changes with open arms. And that is exactly what he did in a recent media appearance, stating, “I’m a starter. I won’t pitch in the bullpen. I’m a starter. I’m a starter.”

And it seems like Stroman is going to win that argument because that is the need of the hour for the Yankees. With Gerrit Cole suffering from elbow issues that will likely result in him getting Tommy John surgery and Luis Gil out for a long time because of a high-grade lat strain, Stroman will be the number 4 starter for the Yankees.

Stroman had a 10-9 win-loss record in the 2024 season. He ended the season with an ERA of 4.31 and 113 strikeouts. He did not have a good season since June and the team then excluded him from the ALDS roster. The team expects the rookie, Will Warren, to help him. He made his debut for the Yankees in 2024, but it didn’t go well. He ended the season with an ERA of 10.32.

If Stroman and Warren are the Yankees’ best answers, the real question might be how long the season will last before the Bronx faithful start praying for a miracle. Banking on an unproven rookie and a struggling veteran isn’t exactly a championship blueprint—but desperate times call for desperate rotations. Buckle up, Yankees fans. This ride is just starting.

Marcus Stroman has the Yankees fans screaming after his performances in spring games

The Yankees paid for reliability, but what they’re getting so far is a rollercoaster with no seatbelt. Marcus Stroman was supposed to bring stability to the rotation, yet here we are—watching every start like it’s a high-stakes gamble. The Bronx faithful expected dominance. What they’re getting? Well, let’s just say the reactions have been… loud.

Marcus Stroman, what are you doing? This is the reaction of all the Yankee fans after the three games Marcus Stroman has pitched in. With the coach about to hand him the torch, he is a no-show during the spring training games.

In his first three games, Stroman has pitched 6.2 innings and recorded an ERA of 6.75. During this period, he has allowed 5 hits and earned 5 runs allowing the batters to walk 3 times. With these performances, the New York Yankees and these fans will start to lose confidence and the trade buzz will start to become stronger.

If Stroman was looking to silence the trade talk, he’s doing the exact opposite. With each shaky outing, the whispers get louder, and the Yankees’ patience gets thinner. Spring training is supposed to be a tune-up, not a warning sign—but right now, the only thing Stroman is warming up is the trade market.