Marcus Stroman Thanks Cubs, Chicago Fans in IG Post After Signing Yankees Contract

Marcus Stroman is saying his goodbyes to the Chicago Cubs after agreeing to a reported two-year, $37 million contract with the New York Yankees last week.

Stroman posted Tuesday on his Instagram story:

Stroman spent the last two seasons of his career with the Cubs and declined his $21 million player option for the 2024 season in November to become a free agent.

The 32-year-old had been a key member of Chicago's rotation. In 52 games (50 starts) across two seasons with the Cubs, he went 16-16 with a 3.73 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 238 strikeouts in 275.1 innings.

Stroman is coming off a respectable 2023 season in which he posted a 10-9 record with a 3.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 136.2 innings across 27 games (25 starts). One of his best games came in a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on May 29 when he tossed a complete game shutout.

The right-hander allowed just one hit and struck out eight batters in that outing.

Now with the Yankees, Stroman, a New York native, joins a rotation headlined by Gerrit Cole and also includes Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt.

The Yankees made a run to sign both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto this winter, but both agreed to deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Stroman is still a solid consolation prize. He boasts a 3.65 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 231 games across his nine-year career that also includes stops with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets.

The Yankees are hoping the addition of Stroman will help them bounce back from a wildly disappointing 2023 campaign in which they finished with an 82-80 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season.

As for the Cubs, they'll rely on a rotation in 2024 that includes the newly-signed Shōta Imanaga, in addition to Kyle Hendricks, Justin Steele and Jameson Taillon.