Yesterday’s Yankees-Giants game felt like a gut punch. After rolling through the start of the season, getting slapped around 9-1 by San Francisco was a brutal reality check, especially with that glaring 5.46 ERA hanging over the rotation like a storm cloud. Marcus Stroman, who was supposed to be a mid-rotation insurance option, finds himself unexpectedly thrust into the role of the Yankees’ accidental fifth starter. But now, it’s clear the pressure is getting to him. And as usual, after the blowout, all eyes turned to Aaron Boone. Was this the moment for a quiet, cutting reality check for the skipper?
Even after Stroman’s lackluster performance against the Giants, Boone remains hopeful. But let’s be real. It’s one thing to struggle, but when you’re seen as a key piece in holding together the Yankees’ shaky rotation, nights like yesterday only amplify the concern. Stroman threw 46 pitches and couldn’t even get out of the first inning. That’s brutal, especially at home. It’s a poor addition to his already dismal stat line: 12 earned runs on 12 hits across his last three outings.
“I do because I think the movement qualities are there,” Boone said after the game. “Again, it’s less margin for error, and there’s probably some adjustments we can all make with him that hopefully allow him to go out there and be effective because the stuff’s not much different than the first half of last season to the second half to now. We got to execute a little better.”
“There’s probably some adjustments we can make with him that hopefully allow him to go out there and be effective”
Aaron Boone was asked if he thinks Marcus Stroman can still be a viable starter for the Yankees going forward: pic.twitter.com/ckAz75JHJd
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) April 12, 2025
But what exactly are these adjustments? Stroman’s 4-seam fastball has been topping out at 88-89 mph. That may make him a good high school pitcher, but at the MLB level, it’s not nearly enough. Boone’s optimism might be a bit of a stretch here. Yet, would the Yankees actually consider DFA’ing Stroman? With Clarke Schmidt set to return, the rotation will likely see some shuffling. The question is, who will make way for him? “Clarke is going to join, and that should help things,” Boone stated. “We’ve got very capable people, but we’ve got to get a little more.”
The full-blown rotation crisis for the Yankees just made matters worse. Let’s line it up like that—Carlos Carrasco with a 7.71 ERA, Will Warren at 6.00, Carlos Rodon over 5—it’s no wonder the Yankees are unraveling. Max Fried is the lone warrior fighting an impossible battle. So, when your rotation is giving up crooked numbers early, it’s doomsday for the team. It’s now up to the front office to make some bold moves, maybe a trade, to figure things out.
Smart trades can work wonders for the Yankees
If they’re serious about chasing a title this season, trading a few guys is the kind of gamble the Yankees need to take. Dylan Cease, despite that ugly 7.98 ERA right now, has the potential and experience to be a legitimate No. 2 in a playoff rotation. His fastball-slider combo is still elite when he’s on. Enough for betting on a bounce-back rather than judging him off a rocky April. Honestly, no more patchwork fixes or back-end arms can make sense now for the team. The rotation needs a shot of adrenaline, and Cease has the ceiling for that.
But how much are the Yankees willing to give up? A cease deal might cost top prospects like Spencer Jones or Roderick Arias. But whether that’s a price they’d be willing to pay or not is yet to be seen.
Remember Michael King? The old friend of the Yankees. His 2023 was good enough for the team to bet on him. A sub-3.00 ERA, nearly 174 innings, and 200+ strikeouts—that’s frontline stuff and exactly what the Yankees could use right now. If they had held onto him, would Stroman be under this much pressure? Probably not. With Cease and King in the mix, imagine the future rotation. That’s the kind of dream that gets you through a 9-1 loss. Bring it on, Boone—the season’s not over yet.
Hopefully, the 9-1 loss will open a new window of opportunities for the Yankees. What do you think?
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