The New York Mets could lose Marcus Stroman before he ever pitches a full season for the team. That would be a disaster for Brodie Van Wagenen.
Jim Bowden of CBS Sports is reporting that the New York Mets are unlikely to re-sign starting pitcher Marcus Stroman. Stroman is expected to have a robust market when he hits free agency as the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Angels are expected to show interest.
It’s impossible to pin down how the free-agent market will look after the season. Teams will be operating with huge losses and it’s impossible to predict how they’ll spend because of it. More importantly, it’s impossible to know how the Mets will look by the end of the season.
The Wilpons are still trying to sell the team. If they hold onto the team, Stroman’s exit can be expected. They won’t be able to afford to carry a high salary with the Wilpons losing even more money than they normally do.
If the Mets are bought though, then nobody will know what to expect. The new owner(s) will have no previous track record to base their strategy on. It’s entirely possible they could be willing to spend big to keep the current iteration of the Mets together, seeing as they’re potential World Series contenders.
There’s also the PR side to this. General manager Brodie Van Wagenen traded two of the Mets’ top pitching prospects to acquire Stroman at the deadline in 2019. If he leaves without ever pitching a full season for the team, it would be a nightmare.
The fans are already in an uproar after losing Jarred Kelenic for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano. Adding the loss of Simeon Woods-Richardson for fewer than 30 starts from Stroman would be a huge blow.
It also wouldn’t be a good look for Wagenen if/when the Wilpons do eventually sell the team. Whenever that may be.
