Mets: MLB Trade Rumors predicts Marcus Stroman signs with the Angels

MLB Trade Rumors has predicted Marcus Stroman will most likely leave the New York Mets and sign with the Los Angeles Angels.

Marcus Stroman has over $18 million of Steve Cohen’s money sitting right in front of him. All he has to do is accept the qualifying offer from the New York Mets and suit up for the club in 2021. Given the financial climate of Major League Baseball, it’s hard to imagine anyone turning down that kind of guaranteed money.

Well, he still might. According to MLB Trade Rumors’ predictions for where the top 50 free agents end up, Stroman is going to swap coasts and end up with the Los Angeles Angels.

Stroman is predicted to sign a four-year deal worth $68 million. This comes in at an average of $17 million per year which is only a slight dip from his one-year qualifying offer salary he could take home.

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Unlike any other offseason, this one has many more outside considerations for players to make. What will the 2021 season even look like? Will the season start on time? Will they play at all?

After sitting out in 2020, Stroman is now more than a full year away from playing in live action. His value isn’t going to go up. The four-year deal proposed by MLB Trade Rumors might, indeed, be too much to pass up.

It’s not so simple though, is it? Stroman doesn’t have the chance to negotiate with other ball clubs quite yet. He first needs to decide on his fate with the Mets and whether or not a one-year pact is right for him.

It would take a spectacular year from Stroman in 2021 to earn more than the $17 million per year deal lined up in this prediction. Stroman is talented and someone would be willing to pay him good money regardless of what he did in the previous year. The risk he runs is having a bad year in 2021. Stroman may then need to settle on a “make good” deal where he performs for a full season to hopefully earn a multi-year contract thereafter.

In such unpredictable times, following the largest vault of money and years is probably the smartest thing to do. If Stroman really feels he can get a deal like the one MLB Trade Rumors predicts, that’s what he needs to snatch up.

This doesn’t rule out the Mets entirely from bringing Stroman back even if he does turn down their qualifying offer. They can afford him at any price thanks to Mr. Steve Cohen.

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One thing everyone can agree on, the Mets cannot walk away from any free agent fight without at least driving up the price. If Stroman turns down the qualifying offer, it should be far from the end of their pursuit of having him around next year.