Entering the MLB games today, the Yankees are in a serious fight. Not only to get the top seed in the American League playoffs but also to beat out the Baltimore Orioles for the AL East title. That is how good the top of the AL is, that New York could win close to 100 games and be a Wild Card team.

How the Yankees start the postseason could have serious ramifications on how they structure their roster in their first series. And it is something The Athletic Yanks reporter Chris Kirshner wrote about on Wednesday. And in his view, the team’s brass will have some tough decisions when it comes to their pitching.

The Yankees reporter believes Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt, Nestor Cortes, Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle, Jake Cousins, Tim Hill, Luke Weaver, and Ian Hamilton are locks to get roster spots. But Marcus Stroman, Mark Leiter Jr., Cody Poteet, Scott Effross, Lou Trivino, Ron Marinaccio, and Clayton Beeter are on the bubble.

Could big free agent addition Marcus Stroman be left of New York Yankees playoff roster?

If New York falters down the stretch and ends up in a Wild Card series, he believes Stroman will be on their roster. However, if they start the 2024 MLB playoffs in the Division Series and only need three starters, he believes the player the team gave a $37 million deal to in the offseason could sadly be the odd man out. And he made the case for why.

“[Stroman’s] 1.43 WHIP ranks fourth worst in MLB this season. Only Washington Nationals starters Patrick Corbin and Mackenzie Gore and Los Angeles Angels starter Griffin Canning are allowing more traffic. Stroman’s 109 strikeouts are the second-fewest for any qualified starter, with only Colorado Rockies starter Austin Gomber having fewer, though Gomber has also made one fewer start.

“Stroman’s inability to limit traffic becomes a larger issue because he’s also one of the worst pitchers at holding base runners. According to Statcast’s pitcher base-advances prevented metric, only five potential postseason pitchers in MLB have been worse than Stroman at controlling the running game.”

-Chris Kirshner

The second part shows why he wouldn’t be a good option in the Division Series out of the bullpen. Kirshner does feel Stroman is one of the better starters on the New York Yankees staff. But his recent play makes him a major risk in the playoffs.