Marcus Stroman's sinker is key, but fiery side could jolt buttoned-up Yankees to greater heights

Marcus Stroman is a talented, uber-confident righty who thrives by using a terrific sinker to get ground-ball outs. Sounds like he could be a snug fit in pinstripes, especially since roughly half of his starts figure to be at home in Yankee Stadium, a ballpark that can be poison for fly-ball pitchers, after signing a two-year, $37 million deal.

There’s more to the Stro Show, of course – durability for much of his career, though a smidge less so the last two years. Fielding acumen. Control. Work ethic. A fiery side that perhaps could help jolt the buttoned-up Yankees to greater heights.

And there’s that old feud with his new employers that featured social-media swats at the executive who just signed him, Brian Cashman. The Yankees GM didn’t trade for Stroman in 2019 (the Mets did) and suggested Stroman wasn’t a “difference-maker” and was unlikely to crack the Yanks’ rotation in the postseason.

Stroman bit back. Even two years later, he had not let it go, referring on social media to his earlier post that the Yankees ought to be winning more championships, considering their payroll. He may have had a point there. Bet there’s a few Yankee fans who agree.

Now Stroman, 32, has a personal stake in the Yankees breaking their World Series drought, which makes this a fascinating marriage. He and Cashman obviously figured out enough of a relationship to get a deal done. Who knows how it works out? Maybe the whole backstory is gasoline for Stroman for a big 2024.

Or maybe he doesn’t need the fuel. He is, after all, a fine pitcher who made the NL All-Star team last season after notching a 2.96 ERA in the first half, his second selection to the Midsummer Classic. He was hurt in the second half and did not pitch as well, recording an 8.63 ERA to finish the season at 10-9 with a 3.95 ERA for the Cubs.

The Yankees needed to add a pitcher after missing out on their primary target, 25-year-old Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. But while Stroman gives the Yankees five big-league starters, they should still hunt another rotation arm. After making that pricey Juan Soto trade, good for one year of control only, this is an all-in season for the Yanks, isn’t it?

Just because the Yankees now have five starters doesn’t mean they will need only five starters all season. Including openers, the Yankees used 12 different starters last year, seven of whom started at least 12 times.

They should be scouring for other pitching opportunities, particularly if the costs in talent or money dip for pitchers such as free agents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery or trade targets such as Dylan Cease, Corbin Burnes or Shane Bieber.

Gerrit Cole, obviously, sits atop their rotation now, followed by some combo of Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes, Stroman and Clarke Schmidt. Rodón and Cortes were both injured and ineffective last season, which underscored the need for Stroman’s reliability.

Stroman is one of only 33 MLB pitchers to make as many as 83 starts over the past three seasons. Hip and rib injuries limited Stroman to 25 starts last year; only two Yankee pitchers – Cole (33 starts) and Schmidt (32) – made more than 19 starts.

Still, even the most reliable pitchers have hiccups. Stroman started an MLB-best 33 games for the Mets in 2021 but has made only 25 starts in each of the past two years.

There are other risks, too – adding a player with edge didn’t exactly work for the Yanks with Josh Donaldson, eh? Stroman should probably pay some mind to his social media presence – the Cashman contretemps wasn’t the only time it garnered attention. Stroman’s fiery side should best manifest itself in the competition that counts – on the mound.

Maybe this blooms into a nice local narrative – Stroman was born on Long Island, in Medford, and went to Patchogue-Medford High. He once had an epic prep duel with former Met teammate Steven Matz. After news of his agreement with the Yanks broke Thursday, at least one photo of Stroman in Yankee gear as a kid circulated on the Internet.

When Stroman is on the mound, he can be very effective and that’s what the Yankees need. His career ground-ball rate is 56.7 percent (the MLB average of 43.5 percent, according to baseball-reference.com), a good hedge against the homer-happy Stadium. Stroman also has a strong career walk rate (6.9 percent).

And, ultimately, it’s his heavy sinker, the one that helps him get those numbers, that could make the most difference to a team so desperately in need of difference-makers. For the Yanks, that would be the Stro Show that matters most.