Marcus Stroman hints at fresh start with cryptic message after parting ways with Yankees

The New York Yankees parted ways with starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on Friday after a string of disappointing performances since his return from injury this season.

Stroman arrived in the Bronx after signing a two-year, $37 million contract in January. However, he was left off the team's ALDS roster after posting a 4.31 ERA in 30 games last season.

The enigmatic ace was expected to step up this season after injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil. However, Stroman posted a 6.23 ERA in nine games this season, leading to his release on Friday.

The former Yankees pitcher shared a cryptic message about his future in an Instagram story on Sunday.

"Life is just beginning," Stroman captioned his story.

The Yankees added Luis Gil to the roster after cutting Stroman and stuck with young pitchers Will Warren and Cam Schlittler. Yankees manager Aaron Boone reflected on Stroman's time with the team on Friday.

“Obviously, that was a tough decision we made today,” Boone said. “The perception around Stro, for us, did not meet the guy we got to be around the last couple years -- he’s just an awesome competitor.

“It’s a case of we think Warren and Schlittler are ready to be in the rotation full-time. Just felt like with some more roster moves probably coming over the next few days at least, the timing was right.”

Cubs insider urges to avoid Marcus Stroman reunion

After being released by the Yankees, Marcus Stroman has been linked with a reunion with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs are reportedly looking for a reliable arm despite adding Michael Soroka, Andrew Kittredge and Taylor Rogers at the trade deadline.

However, Cubs insider Nick Ziegler has urged Chicago not to dwell on its former All-Star ace.

"As a team with a need for help in the rotation, the Cubs make sense in terms of a potential fit, but they should be avoiding him. Stroman was an All-Star for Chicago in 2023, but the last two years have not been good for the right-hander.

"Despite it being tempting to try to tap into the potential that Stroman recently had in 2023, he is now 34 years old and seemingly heading in the wrong direction."

Marcus Stroman's stock has plummeted after two disappointing seasons with the Bronx Bombers, and it's unlikely a big-market team will take a chance on the veteran arm in the second half of the season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash