Marcus Stroman drops cryptic comment on former Yankees OF Alex Verdugo's market

From the moment Alex Verdugo made the final out of the Yankees' World Series Game 5 disaster against the Dodgers until the Tokyo Series opener of the 2025 season between Los Angeles and the Chicago Cubs, the now-ex-Yankee reportedly didn't receive a singular MLB contract offer.

His journey is not over. The conversation remains ongoing. But, following Game 1 of the 2025 regular season early Tuesday morning, a line in the sand has officially been drawn. One season ended. Another has begun. And, per The Athletic, not only is Verdugo still unsigned, but the Yankees' playoff starting left fielder hasn't received a big-league offer after making $8.7 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility last season.

Verdugo may not have been elite in his one season in the Bronx, but he posted a .762 OPS in the World Series and stepped up from time to time when needed, all while playing above-average defense. Yes, we're grasping at straws, but at no point last year did we think, "This guy is not a big-leaguer."

The Athletic caught up with Verdugo's now-ex-teammates this week at camp, and they were universally surprised at the lack of interest. Marcus Stroman's quote, which oddly hinted at something he wouldn't quite dare to scratch, stood out (subscription required).

“Yes, I am (surprised)," he said. "That’s all I’m going to say on it. But a lot of things surprise in this game nowadays. Just keep it at that.”

Yankees starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is surprised Alex Verdugo hasn't received an MLB contract offer

Is Stroman hinting at ... collusion between owners, which has often been poked and prodded at in recent years? We haven't seen the epidemic of "a small cluster of top free agents are still unsigned into March and no one really knows why" this offseason, but that doesn't mean players aren't thinking and talking about the cabal teaming up to leave certain players flailing on the open market.

There's almost certain to be a work stoppage/lockout at the end of the 2026 season — not because of Verdugo, but it'll happen nonetheless — and it's not surprising to see Stroman hinting that something nefarious may be keeping his friend out of the game.

You never worry about the players at the top of the game. Matt Chapman and Blake Snell were always going to be fine. It's the middle-tier folks like Verdugo and the late-career veterans like former Yankee Anthony Rizzo who might just get squeezed out of the game ahead of their time, while MLB's richest power players hope no one notices.