Why the Mets Must Re-Sign Marcus Stroman
Is there anyone smarter than Marcus Stroman?
The right-hander hit free agency last winter in a razor thin pitching market, which usually would mean a big pay day. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought on a shortened 2020 season without fans, organizations were cutting costs. This meant the majority of teams were looking to low ball in the hope of getting quality players at discounts.
But Stroman, consciously, did not let this happen to himself. Instead of taking the highest offer last year, he decided to bet on himself by exercising his one-year, $18.9 million option to stick with the Mets on a "prove it" deal.
Stroman sat out the entire 60-game season last year due to a calf injury and later, opted out for the remainder of the campaign. As a result, the righty hadn't pitched in a live contest since the end of 2019, which also hurt his value as a free-agent.
After locking up Jacob deGrom to a long-term deal, the initial plan looked like the Mets could prioritize promising young pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who is set to become a free-agent after the 2021 season. But Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery last year, which has seen him suffer a setback this season. This is expected to keep the hard throwing righty out until at least August.
Now, with Stroman off to an excellent start: pitching to a 5-4 record, 2.41 ERA (10th best in MLB) and 1.07 WHIP, it's hard to argue that he should be the one the Mets hang onto as opposed to Syndergaard, who hasn't pitched in a major league game since September of 2019.
When taking a look at the past Mets' regime, they made the fatal mistake of letting promising starter Zack Wheeler walk in free agency.
And as everyone knows all too well, Wheeler has dominated ever since, emerging as one of the top pitchers in baseball for the NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies.
While it is a new day in Mets land with owner Steve Cohen and the return of top executive Sandy Alderson, they cannot have another Wheeler situation on their hands.
Not only that, but Wheeler showed signs of promise before the Mets let go of him with the eighth most quality starts in the league from June 2018-September of 2019.
This non-move was a huge blunder, and with Stroman pitching so well through the first 12 starts of his 2021 campaign, it is starting to look like a no-brainer to invest in him in the long-term.
Stroman of course, is not a pitcher, who relies on blowing away hitters with his velocity. He is actually the exact opposite of that. The right-hander is at his best when he is inducing soft contact, and getting guys out via the ground ball, which has become his bread and butter over the years.
This is an attractive factor that organizations' look at when taking the backend years of a multi-year deal into account. What if he loses some velocity? Well that doesn't matter as much, considering Stroman doesn't throw all that hard to begin with. He knows how to get guys out without relying on the strikeout, which has become a foreign concept in this day-and-age.
The 30-year-old is still in the prime of his career, and it'd be wise to lock him up to a contract extension, which will probably land in at least the $25 million per year range given where the pitching market is headed.
And that's OK. The Mets have already signed deGrom, and superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor to extensions. Their top pending free agents following the season include: Stroman, Syndergaard and Michael Conforto. And with the exception of Stroman, the latter two have dealt with injuries this year that have plummeted their value.
While it would certainly be ideal for the Mets to re-sign all three players, Stroman should be the priority.
Although he is setup for a large payday in free agency, Cohen and co. have the firepower to retain him, and must do so if his impressive season continues to trend in the right direction.
If they sign Stroman, the Mets will endure another year of their dominant trio at the top of the rotation in deGrom, Stroman and Taijuan Walker, who all rank in the top 10 of MLB's ERA leader board.
Calling Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson, the floor is yours. Do not make the same mistake as the past regime did with Wheeler. Quality starters don't grow on trees. Reward your pitcher for his stellar campaign and make him a key piece of the puzzle moving forward.
