MLB executives poll reveals clear Yankees bias with free agency criticism

Nobody's more critical of the New York Yankees than fans of the New York Yankees, which is why they're usually very quick to defend their team whenever rival fans or pundits from the outside looking in are spewing nonsense.

Some fanatics are delusional, of course, but when you live and die by all 162 games, you usually know what you're talking about. So when MLB.com dropped a recent article polling executives about the best and worst free agent signings, Yankees fans were ready to push back once they finished reading.

According to the anonymous execs, Marcus Stroman was among the players who received votes for "most problematic free-agent signings" along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jung Hoo Lee, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jeimer Candelario, Lucas Giolito and Mitch Garver. The group was headlined by Jordan Montgomery and Cody Bellinger, however.

Um, excuse us? Even before Stroman's last two sterling outings, such an assessment couldn't be less true. When comparing Stroman's $37 million contract over two years to the other candidates, this shouldn't even be a conversation.

Every single one of those other players are either injured, making way more money, or aren't providing much of anything from a value standpoint to their teams. Meanwhile, Stroman, at a bargain rate for starting pitching, is 8-6 with a 3.82 ERA and 1.5 WAR. Yes, his 5.01 FIP and 1.38 WHIP can be considered "problems," but he's given the Yankees a quality start 33% of the time he's been out there.

MLB executives poll reveals clear Yankees bias with free agency criticism

Jsut say you don't like the Yankees! It's totally fine and we understand. But you cannot compare Stroman's impact and influence to that of Montgomery's (6.25 ERA, -1.3 WAR), Yamamoto's ($325 million and long-term injury concerns), Eduardo Rodriguez ($20 million salary, two starts, and worse career stats), and Lucas Giolito ($19.5 million to never throw a pitch).

And those are just the pitchers! We don't need to go through those position players because it's not even worth our time. They have not been worth the money and have provided next-to-no upgrade.

In the Yankees' case, Stroman has provided a veteran presence, as well as stability to a rickety rotation in recent years. He's handled the New York spotlight admirably and has neutralized some of the game's most talented offenses.

Are we going to sit here and say the experience has been flawless? Absolutely not. There have been plenty of moments where fans expressed concern and frustration. But that's the grind of a baseball season.

When you zoom out and realize Stroman's reasonable salary, clean bill of health, and makeup to pitch in high-pressure games, the $18.5 million price tag is absolutely in line with all of that. And not to mention, the third year of the deal will only materialize if he performs to his abilities in 2024 and 2025.

It's a low-risk short-term pact that should be viewed as one of the more shrewd free agency decisions this past offseason. But apparently Brian Cashman might have more enemies than we previously believed.