As it stands, injuries might be New York Yankees pitcher Marcus Stroman’s best friend.
Stroman arrived at Yankees camp in February insisting he viewed himself as a starter and wouldn’t pitch out of the bullpen. Luckily for the two-time All-Star, he earned a rotation spot because Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt all landed on the injured list before Opening Day.
Stroman’s future in the Bronx remains unclear, both because of his own knee injury and an overall disappointing Yankees tenure. He’s missed nearly two months after giving up 12 runs over 9 1/3 innings over his first three starts.
If the Yankees trade Stroman in the coming weeks, their first call should be to the Los Angeles Dodgers—assuming, of course, the Dodgers don’t send the initial message.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Dodgers placed veteran starter Tony Gonsolin on the injured list Saturday with right elbow discomfort. Gonsolin missed the end of 2023 and all of last season following Tommy John surgery, and fears immediately mounted that he’s headed for another procedure.
Gonsolin is 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA and 38-18 K-BB ratio over 36 innings
Although Stroman may not be the pitcher he once was, the Dodgers need whatever help they can get. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are on the 60-day IL with shoulder injuries.
Roki Sasaki is also recovering from a shoulder injury, although he’s only on the 15-day injured list.
Fans can say whatever they want about the divisive Stroman, but he averaged 152 innings from 2021-24, and he’d likely be ecstatic at a guaranteed starting spot. Stroman should also come cheap, in part because he’s a pending free agent.
This theoretical trade gives the Dodgers a much-needed veteran arm, and it frees the Yankees of a player who clearly isn’t a fit for pinstripes. At least on paper, it’s hard to call that trade pitch anything but a win-win.
