Former Toronto Blue Jays Ace could find himself on the Yankees ALCS roster

The New York Yankees open the American League Championship Series Monday night when they host the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium.

And if they do, there’s a chance they could have former Toronto Blue Jays great Marcus Stroman on the roster.

In the best-of-five game division series, Stroman was left out of the selection, but he could serve a purpose in this round. For example, he could start Game 4 after Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt and Carlos Rodon take turns. That is possible, but unlikely, as Luis Gil and Nestor Cortes could also be candidates for that match. Stroman could also serve as a multi-inning relief option.

MLBTradeRumors also discussed this possibility on Sunday:

Veteran righty Marcus Stroman is also theoretically available to start if needed, but seems likely to only be used as a starter in an emergency after being moved to the bullpen late in the regular season and left off the ALDS roster entirely. Stroman could make the ALCS roster as a multi-inning reliever or emergency starter, although it’s also possible the club could look to add another short relief arm like Mark Leiter Jr. to their bullpen mix heading into the series.

Stroman went 10-9 for the Yankees this season and pitched to a 4.31 ERA. The 33-year-old Long Island native made 30 appearances with 29 starts.

The 10-year veteran has a lifetime average of 87-85 with an ERA of 3.72. Stroman is the former ace of the Blue Jays, but also pitched for the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. He made the All-Star Game with Toronto in 2019 and Chicago in 2023.

Stroman made his debut with Toronto in 2014 and won double-digit games in two separate seasons with the Jays. He helped Toronto win the ALCS in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

The Blue Jays traded him to the Mets in the 2019 season and then promptly made the playoffs in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. They also made the playoffs in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

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