Mets: Is there any chance Marcus Stroman accepts a qualifying offer?

Marcus Stroman is worthy of a qualifying offer. Will the New York Mets issue him one and is there any chance he signs?

One of the first offseason items for Major League Baseball is for teams to go through which free agents of theirs should or should not get a qualifying offer. In 2021, this one-year pact would pay a player $18.9 million. It’s a hefty sum and the amount of money New York Mets pitcher Marcus Stroman should have in front of him in the coming weeks.

Stroman is the lone Mets free agent worth considering. The others are either beat up, bad, or not worth nearly $20 million per year.

Stroman, whom many believe is a top three starting pitcher in free agency this winter, definitely is.

However, the likelihood of Stroman accepting the qualifying offer feels slimmer than the chances of Jed Lowrie returning to the Mets in 2021 and setting a new franchise home run record. Stroman is going to earn a lucrative deal this offseason. Accepting a qualifying offer will only delay what’s coming to him.

This isn’t the worst thing in the world for New York. Often, qualifying offers feel like an overpayment for a player’s services.

Back when Neil Walker accepted his from the Mets, he managed to take home much more than he could have imagined for one season. It was a decision that both helped and hurt the team.

They managed to keep a quality second baseman around. That same quality second baseman got more money than his performance suggested.

The qualifying offer process has changed since then. It penalizes players far less. Still, this won’t factor in much with the decision with Stroman and the Mets. They’re going to offer him one. He’s going to turn it down.

Stroman’s time with the Mets may already be over before it seemed to really begin. The shortened 2020 season was the first step. His decision to opt-out from playing was the nail in the coffin.

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There is still hope for those hoping to see Stroman return in 2021 and beyond. He has to be one of the top free agents the Mets are considering in their attempt to turn the starting rotation into something legitimate—not the same mess it was in 2020.