New York Mets starter Marcus Stroman had a bad exit meeting in Toronto but he claims it had nothing to do with coming to Flushing.
The New York Mets‘ acquisition of Marcus Stroman was shocking to pretty much everybody. It was expected that he would be traded to a contending team, and instead, he joins a team five games below .500.
Stroman said he was “crazy excited” to be joining the Mets, but there are reasons to be concerned. There was a commotion in the Toronto Blue Jays’ clubhouse after news of the trade broke, and it was reported by Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun that it was Stroman’s reaction to the trade that caused it and that it “was not pretty.”
The commotion inside the #Bluejays clubhouse on Sunday was indeed caused by outgoing Marcus Stroman, sources confirm. Word is his initial reaction to trade was not pretty. #Bluejays.
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) July 29, 2019
When Stroman spoke to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com Monday he cleared the air about the commotion. He acknowledged that he was the cause of the commotion, but stated that was in response to how the Blue Jays handled his exit interview.
Marcus Stroman said his clubhouse issue in Toronto yesterday stemmed from an exit meeting with Blue Jays officials.
"It had nothing to do with the Mets at all," Stroman said on a call. "To be back home, pitching in front of friends and family, is going to be an amazing time."
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 29, 2019
Stroman added that “it had nothing to do with the Mets at all.” There had been rumors about a disconnect between Stroman and the team’s management for some time. Credence was given to those rumors when he denied a report that the team was considering extending him, tweeting that it was news to him.
That’s news to me. Lol
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) July 26, 2019
Stroman is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve at all times, and it endeared him to Blue Jays fans during his tenure with the club. It appears that those emotions came out again when the team gave him a chance to air any grievances that he had with them.
Either way, Stroman is a Met now and appears set to make the most of it.