DENVER, COLORADO – JUNE 01: Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws in the first inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 01, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
After taking another tough loss on Saturday, Marcus Stroman is practically begging the Toronto Blue Jays to trade him.
This was always going to be a rebuilding year for the Toronto Blue Jays, and after Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies they are 17.5 games out in the AL East. Right-hander Marcus Stroman took his Major League-high seventh loss of the season, after allowing three runs in the first inning but settling in nicely after that over his remaining six innings.
Upon showing up at Spring Training in February, Stroman expressed some disappointment the Blue Jays have not offered him a long-term deal. That fueled trade speculation, but coming off an injury-plagued 2018 season (5.54 ERA over 19 starts) there didn’t seem to be a lot of traction.
Peripheral numbers were kind to Stroman last year though, including a FIP (3.91) that was on-par with what his mark was in 2017 (3.90 FIP) on his way to finishing eighth in the AL Cy Young voting. After allowing three earned runs on Saturday, Stroman’s ERA sits at a career-best 2.84 to go with his 3-7 record (and a 3.48 FIP).
After the game, Stroman vented some frustration with his situation.
“It’s frustrating, I work extremely hard every single day. Extremely hard. I hold myself to an extremely high level and we’re losing a lot. So it’s not fun. This is not fun. It’s not a fun atmosphere. I’m a winner. I hate losing. I can’t put that into words enough.”
Along with the start of what looks to be a nice rebound campaign, Stroman has one more year of team control left via arbitration after this season. So he’ll be more than a trade deadline rental, and thus has extra appeal as a trade target for contending teams who are in the market for starting pitching.
There have been reports Toronto will look to trade some veterans, including Stroman. Maybe he has asked for a trade behind the scenes, which the Blue Jays would be inclined to make happen. But an airing of grievances publicly feels like a way for Stroman to make it clear to everyone he wants out.