Marcus Stroman Initially Disappointed in Trade to Mets Instead of Contender
Marcus Stroman was initially disappointed over the fact that the Blue Jays traded him to the Mets and not a playoff contender, the New York Post's Ethan Sears reported on Monday.
Per Yahoo's Nick Ashbourne, reporters were kept from entering Toronto's clubhouse following the Blue Jays' win over Tampa Bay on Sunday after they heard a "commotion" while standing outside waiting for post-game interviews. Instead, they were told "there's a reason it's closed" and were directed to look at Twitter for reports.
On Monday, the Post's Mike Puma reported that Stroman was the cause of the commotion. The right-handed pitcher reportedly reacted with initial disappointment that he had not been traded to a contender. Stroman thought he would land in the Bronx, Boston or Houston but instead found himself on the Mets' roster.
Stroman admitted that he was shocked by the deal to the Mets and said the commotion was him "voicing his displeasure" with Blue Jays management over how the trade was handled, per Yahoo's Matt Ehalt.
Stroman's father also confirmed that his son was hoping he would play for the Yankees in an interview with Newsday on Monday.
"He was hoping it was the Yankees a little bit,” Earl Stroman told the paper. "He was kind of psyched, maybe hoping to go there. I’m not going to tell you that he wasn’t. If he was to leave Toronto at all. Don’t forget, Marcus loved Toronto, his heart was there. The brass [management] didn’t kind of appreciate him as much as the fans did. The whole country took to him and they took to me."
Despite the initial reaction, Stroman expressed his excitement to be in New York in a post on Twitter following the trade.
"NEW YORK!" he wrote. "Where I was born. Where my heart lies. Where my family resides. Crazy excited for this part of my journey. Some things were meant to be!"
Stroman has a 2.96 ERA this season, going 6-11 with 99 strikeouts in 21 games. The Mets are 50-55 this season, going 6-4 in their last 10 games and winning four straight. They are six games out in the NL wild-card race.
