Is former Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman being selfish with the Yankees Opening Day conundrum?

Other than the strange world of Aaron Rodgers, the biggest story going on in New York sports at the moment is the injury to New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole. Now unavailable to start on Opening Day, the obvious second-choice should be former New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman.

Never shy to voice his opinion or retweet a highlight of his performance after a loss by team, Stroman’s reluctance to take Cole’s place on Opening day has some wondering if he’s being a little too selfish.

Marcus Stroman makes some strong points while also fueling the already existent narrative about him

This isn’t a case of Jacob deGrom going down with an injury days before the start of the season as the case was for the Mets back in 2022. The team would have naturally turned to Max Scherzer if it fit the schedule. Instead, they asked Tylor Megill to make the start. He gladly seized the opportunity and tossed five shutout innings.

The Yankees aren’t up against the clock in making their Opening Day determination. Two weeks notice is enough for companies when you tell them you’re leaving a job. It should be more than enough for Stroman to find out his ball club needs him for the opener.

Stroman cited the schedule of his personal routine as the reason why he didn’t leap at the chance. It didn’t seem to be taken into consideration how it would affect teammates of his. Someone is going to have to change their timeline.

As selfish as it may seem, Stroman is simply being honest with Aaron Boone and the Yankees. He believes he can be better for them if he sticks with the original plan. And, in a way, if the Yankees were to only shift the schedule for one player and keep everyone else as in-line as possible, wouldn’t fewer changes benefit them as a ball club? The needs of the many outweigh the needs of one.

Logically, we can side with Stroman 10 times out of 10. On the other hand, putting your team in this spot feeds into a narrative Stroman further built during his time with the Mets. The “me” comes before “we” mentality existing in more than the dictionary, it’s easy to take this as Stroman caring more about himself than the team.

Unfortunately, this is a question bigger than character. Stroman makes fair points. Staying healthy and productive for the full season is far more important. What’s more, starting the home opener in the Bronx has much more allure to it than a road game in Houston even if it is the first of the season.

With Stroman as the subject, the answer isn’t always so black and white. If you love him already, you probably think on the same wavelength. If you aren’t a fan, you’re ready for behind-the-scenes destruction at Yankee Stadium.