Re-Grading the Yankees' Major 2024 Offseason Moves After Halfway Point
By jhaverford
Signing Marcus Stroman: A
Another stellar move for the Yankees featured Brian Cashman getting creative on the free-agent market to improve the pitching staff. Yankees fans were upset about missing out on Japanese standout Yoshinobu Yamamoto and passing on overpaying the reigning National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell.
Marcus Stroman ended up being the big pitching addition on a smaller contract due to Cashman taking a risk. The bet paid off with Stroman both delivering strong results on the field and instantly becoming a fan favorite in the Bronx. Yankees fans love the strong 7-3 record and the 3.15 ERA as a consistently strong pitcher helping the staff put up impressive collective numbers.
Yamamoto has been worth the hype, but the Yankees had no chance of signing him once the temptation of teaming with Shohei Ohtani on the Los Angeles Dodgers was too strong. Snell has a terrible 9.51 ERA and is currently on the disabled list. Cashman deserves credit for not getting desperate and finding a great alternative to fill out the staff.
Stroman must finish the season strong and try his luck in the bright lights of New York postseason baseball, but the signing looks like a smash hit so far. There is a solid chance that Stroman will even make the All-Star team if he continues his strong play. Cashman found the perfect pitcher at the perfect price to fix another problem from last year.