Mets: Three reasons Marcus Stroman should get a contract extension

New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman will become a free agent next offseason unless the organization acts now and locks him up.

One of the biggest decisions for the New York Mets over the next few months is whether or not Marcus Stroman should be in their immediate future plans. The club brought him to town last summer in an unexpected buy move to help improve the starting rotation.

The regular season results were good but not great. However, it was such a small sample size in 2019 that I wouldn’t dare weigh too heavily on his actual numbers. Stroman has a strong enough track record of success worthy of a contract extension.

The Mets are already in a small bind with Stroman because they gave up two notable pitching prospects to land him in the first place. This isn’t one of my reasons for why they should offer him a contract extension, though. Neither is the fact that I like what he does off the field.

You don’t extend a player just to try making up for what may be a bad trade nor do you pay an athlete to stick around because he’s a good guy. While bonuses, there are three other reasons Stroman is worth an extension.

Simply put, he’s a good pitcher

Stroman is a good pitcher who may still get better. In his six big league seasons, Stroman is 51-47 with a 3.76 ERA. Let’s remember he spent most of his time pitching in the American League East at a ballpark prone to elevate a pitcher’s ERA.

Stroman survived his days in Toronto and appears to be a guy who might have even greater numbers in a weaker offensive division like the National League East. It’s no guarantee. The bright lights of New York City can do as much damage to a pitcher as a hitter’s ballpark.

Talent alone is justification enough for the Mets to seek a longer relationship with Stroman.

And if he’s not good enough for you, let’s consider two other important reasons.