MLB Rumors: 4 teams that should take a second look at Marcus Stroman
Of the pitchers still available on the free agent market, Marcus Stroman likely won't get fans excited the same way some of the top remaining starters will. Known for his abrasiveness and his chip-on-the-shoulder attitude as much as his on-field performance, Stroman will still be a good catch for a team looking for a middle-of-the-rotation veteran, or even a front-line starter for an inexperienced staff.
Stroman opted out of his final year with the Chicago Cubs after the 2023 season, leaving $21 million on the table in pursuit of greener pastures. In his two years in the Windy City, the right-hander gave the Cubs close to what they were expecting. He finished his Cubs tenure with a 3.73 ERA but didn't pitch more than 140 innings in either season.
Over the first two months of 2023, the 32-year-old was one of the top starters in the majors and looked like an early Cy Young candidate. He pitched his way to a 9-5 record, with a 2.47 ERA and 14 quality starts out of the 17 times he took the ball.
Stroman's strong April and May earned him an All-Star nod — the second of his career — but things unraveled in July before it was eventually announced that he was dealing with a rib cage cartilage fracture. Ouch!
Marcus Stroman's struggles impacted his overall value, but he deserves a second look
He missed a month and a half before returning to a reduced role in September and then chose to return to free agency for the third time in his career. While he might have stayed put and tried to leverage a full healthy 2024 season to a bigger free agent contract in 2025, he's not getting any younger and obviously wants to get a fresh start with a new team.
At the beginning of the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors predicted that the former Toronto Blue Jays first-round draft pick would sign for two years at $44 million. Even though that's only $1 million more than he would have earned in 2024 with the Cubs, perhaps he saw the writing on the wall in Chicago. The team that hasn't done anything this offseason aside from giving Craig Counsell the biggest contract in MLB history for a manager.
Stroman certainly has suitors, but as MLB.com's Mark Feinsand points out, he'll likely have to wait until the remaining top-tier pitchers decide where they'll be playing in 2024. So, which teams should stay patient and give Stroman a second look when his time comes to sign on the dotted line?
The San Francisco Giants should give Marcus Stroman a second look
The San Francisco Giants have been connected to Marcus Stroman already this offseason, per Feinsand, and even after their big trade for Robbie Ray, should still consider the experienced righty to solidify their rotation in 2024.
The Giants have had a well-documented doozy of a time attracting big free agents to the Bay Area in recent offseasons, and after missing out on the free agents of the offseason in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, should set their sights a bit lower than the biggest names remaining on the market.
The 2021 Cy Young winner Ray won't be ready to return from Tommy John surgery until sometime after the All-Star break, so the Giants still need to bolster their rotation. Even with Ray in the mix, the Giants would be leaning on rookies Kyle Harrison and Keaton Winn to keep two-fifths of the rotation afloat come Opening Day. Without Ray, Roster Resource slots Tristan Beck in the fifth spot.
How does Stroman fit the mold of the typical Giants pitcher? Quite well, actually.
Per Jeff Young of Around the Foghorn, Stroman excels in two key areas that the Giants front office likes in their arms: a high groundball rate and a low home run rate.
While Stroman isn't the groundball pitcher he was with the Blue Jays, when he posted a 61.4 percent groundball rate from 2015-2018, he got close to that last season. With the Cubs in 2023, he posted a 57.1 percent groundball rate, which helped him run a minuscule 0.59 HR/9. Had Stroman qualified with enough innings, that HR/9 mark would have been second-best in the majors behind Minnesota's Sonny Gray (0.39 HR/9).
Stroman would look good in the Giants rotation slotted in behind Logan Webb to start the 2024 campaign.