Phillies ‘Possibility’ for Free Agent All-Star

Former All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman has had difficulty finding a contract in free agency. That may be changing soon. And the Philadelphia Phillies could be a potential landing spot.

On Sunday, MLB.com reported that Stroman is starting to see more interest now that Yoshinobu Yamamoto is off the market. While Blake Snell is still the biggest starter on the market, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that the team will be nibbling around the edges in the rest of free agency.

Does Stroman qualify? Maybe, maybe not. But the market has cooled to the point where the former Cubs starter is getting more interest.

MLB.com writes that the market for him includes the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Angels, the Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox.

As for the Phillies, another MLB.com reporter, Jon Morosi, told MLB Network that the Phillies were “a really good possibility.”

Acquiring Stroman would give the Phillies another capable starter to go along with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Ranger Suarez, Taijuan Walker and Cristopher Sánchez. Signing Stroman might put one of those starter in the bullpen.

Stroman had two different seasons in 2023. In the first half he went 9-6 with a 2.19 ERA in 19 starts, striking out 98 and walking 41.

But, after the All-Star Break, his performance took a downward turn. He missed more than a month with two injuries, including a freak right rib cartilage fracture. He made just eight appearances and went 1-3) with a 8.63 ERA in 24 innings.

Stroman has played nine years in the Majors and has a 77-76 record with a 3.65 ERA. He’s made two All-Star teams, once with Toronto and once with Chicago.

He broke in with the Blue Jays in 2014 but has experience facing the Phillies, thanks to his time with the New York Mets in 2019 and 2021.