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.

Why replace what you already have?

If the Mets move on from Stroman, they’re going to need to find a replacement. Otherwise, anything they do that isn’t a lateral or upgrade addition means they are taking at least a step backward.

The Mets rotation isn’t as strong as it was only a few years ago. Although Jacob deGrom has shown no signs of slowing down other than he’s beginning to hurt his back by sleeping wrong, he’s still one of the best pitchers in the league and you cannot convince me otherwise until his numbers say so.

There’s that old saying about how the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. Stroman isn’t the devil and it’s not exactly the correct terminology for this scenario. However, the purpose of it does seem applicable.

We already know enough about Stroman and should have an even better idea after the 2020 season. He can handle New York. He was born here, after all.

What about other equally as successful pitchers who have spent their careers in smaller cities? It’s not always a factor but many times players will avoid New York for more than just the taxes. They also do it because the media breathes down their neck in the Big Apple as opposed to smaller markets where everyone knows each other’s families by name.

Stroman can pitch in a Mets’ uniform and other players may not be able to. Beyond just the intimidation of the city, how well will others mix in with the team’s chemistry?

Most important of all, Stroman is already with the team. Going out and trying to find an equal or better replacement puts the Mets in a competition with 29 other organizations. The advantage of already having a player on your payroll is you always have the opportunity to extend him before anyone else.

The chances of an early extension seem impossible with uncertainty with ownership. However, if the throne at Citi Field can pass over to someone else before the start of 2021, maybe there is a chance we see Stroman return even if he does test the free agency waters first.

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Should the Mets extend Stroman early? Or would you prefer they find pitching help from another arm?