Aaron Boone confirms Marcus Stroman's Yankees arrival was as 'awkward' as we thought

What Yankees fans feared has become a reality: despite all the trade rumors surrounding Marcus Stroman, the right-hander is at spring training with the team as pitchers and catchers reported to Tampa this week.

Will it affect the Yankees' chemistry? We hope not. But we also wouldn't blame Stroman for feeling some sort of way about it. Will it affect Stroman's play should he stick around? It very well could! Look at what happened to Gleyber Torres when similar uncertainty befell him.

Additionally, it's just straight up unprofessional. Once trade rumors are leaked, it should begin a ticking clock to get a deal done. The relationship has been poisoned. Why should Stroman be subjected to this? And why should his teammates endure any of it? Just because the Yankees didn't get the perfect deal they wanted means everybody else gets stuck with an undesirable situation?

The Yankees apparently have been looking to get rid of all of Stroman's money, but that's hardly an attractive proposition for a trade partner who must also deal with his 2026 vesting option, which features a 140-inning threshold for 2025.

Brian Cashman and the front office created their own awkward situation and are trying to offload it on somebody else. The least they could've done was not have this leak (or at least leak to the degree that it has). Because, as expected, manager Aaron Boone told reporters the situation "may be awkward."

Yankees' situation with Marcus Stroman at spring training is a bit "awkward"

Oh, but the good news is that the Yankees are getting him ready to pitch. Thank goodness. Because the other option was to put him in the equipment closet until a team was willing to make a trade?

Just do us a favor and look around the league, and tell us what "serious" teams are putting themselves in these positions with big-name players? Outside of the Cardinals and Nolan Arenado, it's hard to think of another off the top of your head. And the Cardinals are one of the most toxic organizations in the sport at the moment.

We're not exactly pessimistic about Stroman and the Yankees. It's not going to affect the Yankees' World Series chances. It's probably not going to erode the locker room. It just doesn't help any of that. And the fact that fans, for months, have been dying for it to be resolved so we didn't have to sit here and watch Boone either dance around questions or provide an unsettling answer, just makes it all the more frustrating.