The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly telling teams they could sign Marcus Stroman to an extension, although the righty hurler had no idea.
The New York Yankees are on their annual search for starting pitching and Marcus Stroman is one of the most intriguing talents on the market.
However, according to a report from SNY’s Andy Martino, the Toronto Blue Jays are floating the idea of signing Stroman to an extension as opposed to trading him.
They might be telling other teams this, but they have yet to inform Stroman of the idea.
That’s news to me. Lol
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) July 26, 2019
This close to the trade deadline, it can be hard to tell what’s real and what is just posturing by teams. Stroman’s response to the rumor is a pretty good indication of what the Blue Jays are doing here.
In his original report, Martino even questioned whether or not this was a realistic possibility or a negotiating tactic on the part of Toronto.
Holding onto Stroman doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for Toronto. They’re reconfiguring, rebuilding, retooling, or whatever you want to call it. With or without Stroman, the Jays aren’t going to be World Series contenders anytime soon.
Where Stroman will eventually end up is still a mystery. But New York would be a natural fit for the fiery right-hander. He’s from Long Island and has seemed open to the idea of being traded to the Bronx.
Out of the realistic trade targets for the Yankees, Stroman could be having the best season. The All-Star currently owns a 2.96 ERA and a respectable 1.227 WHIP. Better yet, the righty hurler is a ground-ball pitcher which would play well in Yankee Stadium.
Is he the perfect ace that will come into New York and solve all of the Yankees’ starting pitching issues? Probably not, but he might be the best option on the market right now.
Whether or not the Yanks can pry him away from Toronto remains to be seen.
