The New York Yankees and star outfielder Juan Soto avoided arbitration by agreeing to a record-setting one-year contract before Thursday’s deadline. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Soto will earn $31 million in 2024, his first season with the Yankees, shattering the record for the highest salary paid to an arbitration eligible player in league history.
The previous record was set last offseason by Shohei Ohtani, who signed a $30 million contract ahead of his final season with the Los Angeles Angels.
Soto, who was dealt to the Yankees by the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster transaction this summer, is in his final year of arbitration and would be eligible for unrestricted free agency following the 24th season unless he signs an extension with the team. Soto, 25, played in all 162 games for the Padres last season and had an OPS of.930. He led the MLB with 132 walks, 35 home runs, and 109 RBI in another great season.
He’s been rewarded for his outstanding play with a historic one-year contract, and he’ll want to continue putting up league-leading numbers moving into his contract year before entering free agency for the first time in his career.
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Yankees sign Marcus Stroman to a two-year agreement worth $37 million.
After Jack Curry of YES Network reported that the Yankees have a’sincere’ interest in right-hander Marcus Stroman, Jon Heyman writes that negotiations with him are underway. The Yankees expressed strong interest in the 32-year-old when he made his second career All-Star Game, and he is now formally signed to a deal. Many people are surprised by this, given Stroman’s online criticism of the team.
In 2019, Brian Cashman stated publicly that Marcus Stroman would not be a difference-maker for the team and would most likely have come out of the bullpen during the Yankees’ playoff run. Stroman has since expressed his disapproval with the comments in a number of internet posts, but the two parties have resolved their differences.
According to Joel Sherman, the Yankees and Marcus Stroman have agreed to a two-year deal worth $37 million, with a third year as a vesting option.
The Yankees make a controversial decision to sign Marcus Stroman.
The Yankees are eager to add to their rotation after missing out on Japanese sensation Yoshinobu Yamamoto, so they have turned to RHP Marcus Stroman for a shorter-term deal. The 32-year-old journeyman has pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays, the New York Mets, and the Chicago Cubs, so he has experience in both the American League East and New York. He signed a three-year contract with the Cubs just before the lockout in 2021, but opted out of his final year to join the free agent market.
Marcus Stroman was 10-9 this season with a 3.95 ERA and 3.58 FIP, faltering after a strong first half due to lower-body problems that prompted him to pitch to an 8.31 ERA after June. It’ll be a dangerous move for the Yankees, who know Stroman has a big personality and isn’t afraid to communicate on social media, which isn’t typical of the ‘Yankee Way’.
His statements to Yankees fans over the last few seasons, as well as his critiques of Brian Cashman, will undoubtedly be called into question, but it’s also clear why they signed him. Stroman, a groundball pitcher, with a 57.1% groundball rate last year, ranking in the 94th percentile, and the right-hander depends primarily on his sinker to generate soft contact on the ground. Stroman also has a superb slurve that he uses as a strikeout pitch, despite his history as a contact pitcher.
The Yankees needed to acquire a significant addition to their rotation, and Marcus Stroman profiles as a three or four, putting pressure on Carlos Rodon to rebound next season. One could argue that regardless of who the Yankees added, their $162 million investment would need to produce positive results in order to compete for a World Series, but Stroman should at least provide some insurance and consistency, which the team desperately needed after trading pitching depth for Juan Soto.
Marcus Stroman has thrown to a sub-4 ERA in each of his last four seasons, and the Yankees are hopeful that he can maintain that consistency in 2024 and perhaps endear himself to the fanbase with success. What about the negative aspects of this? Whatever supporters think of Josh Donaldson now pales in compared to what they’d think of Stroman if he busted in the Bronx, especially given how confident he has been over the years that he would have improved the team.
For the time being, the Yankees will pay him $18.5 million per season until at least 2025, and fans will have to make peace with a pitcher who has irritated them on social media.
