NY Mets: Top 5 teams that will compete to sign Marcus Stroman

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 14: Marcus Stroman #0 of the New York Mets in action against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citi Field on September 14, 2021 in New York City. The Cardinals defeated the Mets 7-6 in eleven innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Marcus Stroman is going to end up signing with the highest bidder this winter. There’s no doubt about it. The man pitched well enough for the New York Mets in 2021 to have an abundance of options when he heads into free agency for the first time in his career.

Now over 1,000 big league innings into his career, Stroman has shown signs of getting even better. Exactly what he can accomplish has been hard to diagnose. His down year in 2018 was an outlier of the bad while his most recent two full seasons match closely to what he did in 2017 when he became a full-fledged star for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Whatever you think Stroman is capable of, he’s going to have suitors all over North America this winter. These five clubs seem to stand the best chance at taking him away from the Mets.

The Chicago Cubs have emerged as a potential competitor with the Mets

Despite selling last winter and again midyear in 2021, the Chicago Cubs might not stay in baseball purgatory for long. They’re in a big market with some of the loyalist fans out there. It’s believable enough that they merely took a step back from spending big now so they can gear up and go for another championship in the not-too-distant future.

I’m not betting on them going nuts in free agency this winter. However, it wouldn’t come as a shock for them to pry Stroman away from the Mets to get the ball rolling.

The Cubs make my list mostly because Stroman has already talked about them and his willingness/interest in ending up on the Northside of Chi’Town. Had he not done so, I’m not sure this club would have necessarily clicked as one of the top options.

There always seems to be at least one organization that buys unexpectedly during the offseason. The Cubs could very well be that organization in the winter ahead of us.

ARLINGTON, TX – JULY 04: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim players wear Skaggs 45 buttons on their caps in memory of their teammate Tyler Skaggs during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park July 4, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. Skaggs suddenly died on Monday, July 1, 2019. Texas won 9-3. (Photo by Brandon Wade/Getty Images) /

The Los Angeles Angels have always been my pick to land Marcus Stroman

Last offseason, prior to Stroman accepting the qualifying offer from the Mets, I thought for sure he would be bound for the Los Angeles Angels. It made total sense. The club has employed Mike Trout for years and never seem to come without shouting distance of the World Series. Now that they have Shohei Ohtani doing Babe Ruth things, the urgency to build a winner should force them to do whatever they can to accomplish this.

Pitching has been the Angels’ weak point in many of these failed attempts at winning it all. This was the case yet again in 2021. A portion of the blame can go on the health of their starters. Ohtani was the only guy on the entire staff to reach 100 innings.

Starting pitching will again be a priority for the Angels. Signing Stroman gives them a reliably consistent guy who can fight for a quality start each night. I think moving Stroman from the National League to the American League can also boost his innings. Even an extra frame a night can make a major difference by the season’s end. There’s no pitcher hitting or needing to be pinch-hit for. This might not be an issue in the NL this coming season with the potential return to the DH. You get my point, though.

The Angels haven’t been shy about spending money. With a credible offense, it’s time they spent some of those bucks on top pitching.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 31: Overhead view of the stadium before the game. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-0 in a game played at Dodger Stadium on March 31, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

Never count out the Los Angeles Dodgers in any sweepstakes

When talking major free agents or trades, the Los Angeles Dodgers are always involved. They do magic tricks to land the best players. How did they possibly get Max Scherzer and Trea Turner back in July? I want the deal with Satan they made.

It seems every year the Dodgers get better. Like a fool, I often count them out. No organization should have this many good things happen to them. But they’re the Hollywood team. Much like the Los Angeles Lakers, they attract star power.

Stroman goes into this free agency class as one of the biggest stars on the mound. Both talented and popular among fans, he’s the kind of guy the club can market. He can then market himself by doing with them what he has with the Mets.

Players seem to land with the Dodgers when it comes time to win a championship. Although they could have a newer look soon enough with the potential departure of Corey Seager and some other changes to the roster, there remains a core and a culture in place. Stroman feels like he could be a Dodgers player. With all of the uncertainty about Trevor Bauer’s future added in, the next stop for this Mets starter might be LAX.

And if not the Dodgers, the rival San Diego Padres make a ton of sense, too.

Jul 4, 2021; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /

Oh no, not the New York Yankees

Wouldn’t it absolutely suck to see Stroman stay in New York but end up playing for the Yankees? I’ve thought about this before. It’s the worst thing that can possibly happen. I say this because I don’t see him signing with any of the NL East teams. So if you want to get upset over where Stroman ends up, the worst case is in the Bronx.

A lot of what was said about the Dodgers can be said about the Yankees. They attract free agents because of their history and lore. People want to put on the pinstripes because they don’t know any better.

It also doesn’t hurt that the team has a history of paying players good money, competing regularly, and offering those looking for a spotlight a brighter one in the Big Apple. The Mets should be hoping to achieve the same under the new ownership. This could be one of the reasons why Stroman did stay with the Mets last year but with the Yankees available for him to turn to, maybe it’s a different colored NY cap he wears in 2022.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind a war over free agents between the Mets and Yankees. As long as Steve Cohen remembers each and every free agent they steal from Flushing, it could make for an interesting decade.

Stroman already noticed the Yankees’ need for pitching depth. Could this be a hint from the man himself?

DETROIT, MI – JULY 19: Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays throws in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers during a MLB game at Comerica Park on July 19, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

A reunion with the Toronto Blue Jays makes sense for this short-term Mets pitcher

Who says you can’t go home? My mother apparently to my father when I was around 13 and they split up.

But beyond those personal scars from my teenage years, nobody says it.

Stroman kind of did come home when he joined the Mets back in 2019. A Long Island native, the trade to the Mets put him close to his hometown. However, it wasn’t the Mets he began his MLB career with.

The Toronto Blue Jays came up just shy of the playoffs this year and will certainly return in 2022 with some vengeance. The team is young and exciting. How can a player not want to end up there?

A big issue for Stroman in 2021 was the lack of run support he received. This wouldn’t be a problem whatsoever in Toronto. Those kids can hit. And as several of their pitchers showed this year and in previous seasons, it’s not exactly a black hole for pitchers like some other ballparks can be.

The Blue Jays tend to be one of those sneaky clubs that we forget exist and have money to burn. Last offseason, we saw them swoop in and sign George Springer away from the runner-up in his sweepstakes: the Mets.

I fully expect the Blue Jays to at least talk to Stroman and his representation about a reunion.

Next. 15 best pitchers in Mets history

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