Former Cubs pitcher's fraught relationship with his new team feels worse than ever

Between not throwing a single pitch in the team's run to the World Series last year, reporting to spring training late because of a dispute over his role on the team (not to mention rampant trade rumors because of that spat) and a dumpster fire of a start to the 2025 regular season, it's safe to say the relationship between Marcus Stroman and the New York Yankees aren't exactly on solid ground.

Stroman was placed on the 15-day IL this weekend due to what's been labeled 'right knee inflammation'. He received a cortisone shot after his latest outing in which he recorded just two outs, allowing five earned on four hits and three walks in a 9-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants at home.

After being removed from the game, Stroman complained of left knee pain, prompting the team to look into it more. It would explain his rocky start (11.57 ERA in three starts this year) - but will do little to calm a Yankees' fanbase that's clearly not interested in fixing what might be broken with the former All-Star.

Since joining New York ahead of the 2024 season, Stroman has been worth just 0.2 bWAR, working to a 4.72 ERA and 4.73 ERA in 164 innings of work. His struggles loom large given the overall rotation woes Aaron Boone has been trying to work through in the Bronx, with everyone outside of offseason addition Max Fried struggling here in April.

To add fuel to the fire, Stroman's two-year deal with the Yankees has a player option for 2026 if he hits 140 innings this season. Given how he's performed to this point, it's hard to imagine Brian Cashman is excited about the prospect of handing a 35-year-old Stroman a check for $18 million this winter - so that adds another element to this already dramatic dynamic.

As for his former team, the Chicago Cubs, they've got problems of their own with ace Justin Steele currently on the IL with left elbow issues. Cubs starters rank 15th in the league in ERA this season, but Matthew Boyd has been a bright spot - and Ben Brown turned in his best start of the year in Saturday's 16-0 drubbing of the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

It's hard to envision the relationship between Stroman and the Yankees (or their fanbase) improving as the season goes on. But given their starting pitching problems, the best-case scenario is probably Stroman getting back to 100 percent and re-discovering his form on the mound - or else any hopes of another American League pennant may quickly fade away.