NY Mets Rumors: 1 team already linked to free agent Marcus Stroman
The sweepstakes to sign Marcus Stroman this offseason has yet to begin. It won’t until at least after the postseason is over and the free agent pitcher who spent the last two and a half years with the New York Mets officially becomes available. Mets rumors about a return for Stroman haven’t started yet. However, we already have an idea of one club that could get in on the bidding.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the San Diego Padres have added Stroman to their list of offseason targets. It’s one of those rare first week of October Mets rumors to feel sour about. A new deal with Stroman feels about as close to an absolute must as anything else for the club this winter.
A lack of Mets rumors about Marcus Stroman staying should have you concerned
The circumstances with Stroman and the Mets seem to point away from a return. Stroman has talked openly about where he could end up next year. He has publicly mentioned a couple of destinations which sure seems to hint that any Mets rumors we hear about him this offseason will involve a different team.
Stroman is coming off of a productive season just in time to hit the open market. His Mets tenure, while incredibly short, was a memorable one. He helped light a fire on the 2019 club before returning in 2021 following his previous year’s opt-out to lead the team in multiple pitching categories.
Interestingly, the Padres have often been linked to Mets pitchers in the past. You may recall several winters where Noah Syndergaard’s name appeared in Mets rumors with a destination pointing toward San Diego.
The Padres seem to have steered away from that possibility. Understandably so, Syndergaard is a much bigger risk now with only two innings of work since the end of the 2019 campaign.
Stroman will have a plethora of suitors this winter—possibly more than any other free agent. Starting pitching is a need no club can deny. Still young and possibly settling in as a low 3.00 ERA guy who continues to excel at inducing groundball outs, teams looking to rebound after a poor year in 2021, such as the Padres, make a lot of sense for him.
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He’ll have his pick of the litter this winter. The Padres, and just about any other team willing to spend, should remain in the market.