Latest Yankees-Marcus Stroman drama exposes another Aaron Boone half-truth

It's tough to blame Marcus Stroman for being dissatisfied with the New York Yankees. They imported him to be their No. 4 starter last year, and he dominated in May, struggled at home, and found himself floundering as the year went on. He was left off the World Series roster for good reason.

Still, the Yankees had a contract to fulfill. Either they owed him $18 million for 2025, or they'd find someone else who could foot a portion of those earnings. Any dissatisfaction with Stroman's 2024 output was on the Yankees' shoulders and no one else's.

So, as trade rumors abounded and it became clear the Yankees would rather he play anywhere else, Stroman scrubbed his Instagram account and unfollowed the team. It made sense. He was upset. He grew up loving the Yankees, and they didn't want him any longer. He was slated to be a No. 6 starter in a rotation built for five. All the Yankees had to do was be honest with the fan base and admit they'd backed themselves into a corner here.

Instead, Aaron Boone went on an excuse-making tour. On the New York Post's podcast this week, he called Stroman's IG move a "standard scrub that he does" and "very coincidental," unrelated to any trade rumors or frustration with the team.

Yankees' Aaron Boone calls Marcus Stroman's Instagram wipe "coincidental" as drama reigns at spring training

We're not discounting that Stroman's offseason social media cleanse might be standard behavior for him. Of course, the message Boone was trying to communicate was that Stroman unfollowing the team was not an indicator that he was feeling distressed with the Yankees, but rather something else entirely.

That is not true. While Stroman reported to camp and took his physical, his agent noted two days ago that he had no intention of reporting to workouts until the CBA required him to on Feb. 22.

In the interim, Boone told reporters that while Stroman's situation "may be awkward," the Yankees are "getting him ready to pitch" and that's the "bottom line". Decidedly, whether Stroman is in a "good mental place" or not ... that isn't true! He is not readying to pitch on the field with the Yankees. If he's getting ready in any capacity, he's doing so on his own.

The defense did let Stroman down last year. He was valuable, mostly in the first half. If the Yankees keep him for 2025, they'll absolutely need him as depth at some point.

But Stroman, it seems, is as bothered as we all knew he was by the way the offseason has transpired. Propping him up to the press like it's "Weekend at Bernie's" while he disappears into the night is a ridiculous way to handle his departure. It's also par for the course for this organization.