Marcus Stroman, a former All-Star pitcher, has struggled to secure a contract in free agency. That could change shortly. And the Philadelphia Phillies are a possible landing point.
MLB.com reported on Sunday that Stroman is seeing increased attention now that Yoshinobu Yamamoto is no longer available. While Blake Snell remains the market’s top starter, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that the team will be snooping around the margins for the remainder of free agency.
Is Stroman eligible? Perhaps, perhaps not. However, the market has cooled to the point where the former Cubs starter is gaining traction.
According to MLB.com, the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox are all interested in him.
Jon Morosi, another MLB.com reporter, told MLB Network that the Phillies were “a really good possibility.”
The Phillies would gain another good starter in Stroman, joining Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker, and Cristopher Sánchez. If Stroman is signed, one of those starters may be moved to the bullpen.
In 2023, Stroman had two different seasons. In 19 starts in the first half, he went 9-6 with a 2.19 ERA, striking out 98 and walking 41.
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However, his play deteriorated after the All-Star Break. He was out for more than a month due to two injuries, one of which was a freak right rib cartilage fracture. In 24 innings, he was 1-3 with an 8.63 ERA in eight appearances.
Stroman has a 77-76 record with a 3.65 ERA in nine years in the Major Leagues. He’s been selected to two All-Star teams, once with Toronto and once with Chicago.
He debuted with the Blue Jays in 2014, although he’s faced the Phillies before, thanks to stints with the New York Mets in 2019 and 2021.
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