Yankees make shocking Marcus Stroman release decision after trade deadline moves

The New York Yankees shocked baseball on Friday afternoon.

They have released Marcus Stroman, it was announced about 1:45 p.m. on Friday.

Stroman, back in his Blue Jays' days, was one of the best right-handed starting pitchers in the American League.

Now, he's a free agent. Someone will surely look to scoop him up quickly to help their rotation, but it's surprising to see the Yankees let him go.

Admittedly, Stroman hasn't been good. 

This season, he has a 6.23 ERA in nine outings after battling injuries for a couple months.

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Last season, Stroman went 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in his first campaign with the Yankees.

He had come off three consecutive seasons with an ERA under-4 with the Mets and Cubs prior to joining the Yankees, but his stuff just didn't play the same anymore.

Stroman is now 34, and the small righty may finally be nearing the end of the line.

He's a two-time All Star and a Gold Glove award winner. 

The Yankees have dealt with pitching injuries all season. They still are waiting for guys to get back off the injured list. But despite that, they still felt Stroman was expendable.

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He just started on Thursday and got the win against the Rays, going 5.0 innings and allowing four runs while striking out three.

The Yankees brought in a bunch of new arms at the trade deadline, so roster space needed to be created.

But they were all relievers: David Bednar, Jake Bird and Camilo Doval.

Despite that, the Yanks have used Stroman's spot to fit them into. And now he's on the open market.

Someone who needs an innings-eater will likely sign Stroman in the days ahead. Maybe it'll even be Toronto, which could try to use Stroman to hold off the Yankees in the AL East.

But it won't be anymore of Stroman in pinstripes, in a move no one saw coming.

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