Report: Yankees, Stroman have 'mutual interest'

The New York Yankees and free agent starter Marcus Stroman continue to have mutual interest, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Nightengale adds the Yankees are searching for another front-line starting pitcher on the free agent and trade markets. Multiple reports indicated the Yankees pushed hard for Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto before he elected to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers last month.

The No. 11-ranked player on TSN's top 50 MLB free agents list compiled in November, Stroman pitched to a 3.95 ERA in 136.2 innings spread out over 27 outings last season for the Chicago Cubs. He started the season strong, putting up a 2.88 ERA in his first 20 starts, but struggled down the stretch after suffering a rib cage cartilidge fracture, recording an 11.00 ERA in his last seven appearances. He had a 3.50 ERA in 25 outings the season before.

A native of Medford, N.Y., a little over an hour outside of the Bronx, Stroman is a veteran of nine MLB seasons, beginning his career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2014. He pitched parts of six seasons in Toronto, highlighted by a 2017 season where he finished eighth in Cy Young voting and an All-Star nomination in 2019. Stroman was traded to the New York Mets later that season and joined the Cubs on a free agent deal in December of 2021.

Stroman owns a 3.65 ERA in 231 big league appearances, 223 of which have been starts.