The Detroit Tigers have been the most active team in free agency so far, with the acquisition of Mark Canha on Saturday. Yesterday, Tigers President of Baseball Operations Scott Harris said his top priority is pitching after Eduardo Rodriguez used his opt-out and is now a free agent. There was speculation and talk that Rodriguez would restructure his contract with the Tigers and he’d return. Still, now with him being a free agent, that feeling has shifted as far as Harris is concerned, so now, there are some big names available as free-agent starting pitchers who the Tigers aren’t expected to be in the mix for like Blake Snell, Aaron Nola, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, or Jordan Montgomery but what about a name like Marcus Stroman? You could slide him right to the top of the rotation and add him along with Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize, and Matt Manning in 2024. Now Skubal and Mize have an injury history, as does Stroman, which then adds the depth you have in guys like Reese Olson or Sawyer Gipson-Long; you could even add another arm to be a number five guy, but Stroman could be an excellent ace addition to replace Rodriguez.
Marcus Stroman By The Numbers
Stroman was drafted in the 22nd overall by the Toronto Blue Jays out of Duke University. He made his major league debut in 2014 and spent the first six years of his career with the Blue Jays, making 135 appearances with 129 of those being starts; he went 47-45 with a 3.76 ERA, a 3.60 FIP, a 1.27 WHIP, a 0.8 HR/9, a 2.5 BB/9, and a 7.2 K/9. The Blue Jays would trade him on July 28, 2019, in exchange for prospects to the New York Mets. With the Mets, he spent two seasons making 44 starts, going 14-15 with a 3.21 ERA, a 3.66 FIP, a 1.22 WHIP, a 0.9 HR/9, a 2.5 BB/9, and an 8.2 K/9. He would end up signing with the Chicago Cubs in free agency, and with the Cubs, he made 52 appearances, with 50 of those being starts going 16-16 with a 3.73 ERA, a 3.67 FIP, a 1.20 WHIP, a 0.8 HR/9, a 2.9 BB/9, and a 7.8 K/9. Hee is 77-76in his career with a 3.65 ERA, a 3.63 FIP, a 1.25 WHIP, a 0.8 HR/9, a 2.6 BB/9, and a 7.5 K/9. He is a well-known ground ball pitcher who posts a career 56.6% ground ball percentage.
Bottom Line:
If you can sign Stroman to a two-year deal while you let the top prospects in Jackson Jobe, Wilmer Flores, and Ty Madden continue to develop. Stroman will be 33 on May 1, so you’d have him for his age 33 and 34 seasons, which could be a smart move; you could even add in a third year but have it be a team option in case there are injuries, and you want to keep him. The other big names are most likely to sign for big money, but you may be able to sign Stroman for some cheaper money than the other big names, and he’d be an excellent fit in the rotation; what do you think?
