Marcus Stroman is headed back to the Big Apple. The 29-year-old has accepted the Mets’ one-year, $18.9-million qualifying offer, allowing him to enter free agency next offseason in lieu of a long-term extension. A Long Island native, Stroman battled a calf injury this year before ultimately opting out of the 2020 season amid COVID concerns.
Entering an uncertain free-agent landscape—teams will be penny-pinching more than ever due to the pandemic—Stroman opted for the relative safety of the qualifying offer, surmising that his other suitors (he had already ruled out playing for the White Sox) would be hard-pressed to match the $18.9 million New York was fronting. Had Stroman signed elsewhere, New York would have been entitled to draft compensation, receiving an additional pick in 2021.
A former World Baseball Classic MVP (he pitched America to its first WBC title in 2017) and an All-Star as recently as 2019, the former Blue Jays hurler took to Twitter to confirm the news first reported by USA Today blog “Metsmerized,” expressing how “excited” he is to be back in New York. Steve Cohen, who was introduced as the team’s new principal owner on Tuesday, shared a similar sentiment, congratulating Stroman on his return to Queens.
Stroman had until 5 PM Wednesday to either accept or decline the Mets’ offer. Five others received qualifying offers from their respective clubs including Trevor Bauer, Kevin Gausman, DJ LeMahieu, J.T. Realmuto and George Springer. Bauer and LeMahieu have already rejected their offers while Springer and Realmuto are expected to follow suit.
Stroman’s decision to stay put comes as a relative surprise considering he was leaning toward testing the market as recently as last week, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Whether the change of heart was prompted by a desire to stay in his home state, financial logic prevailing or some semblance of the two, the feisty, 5’8” right-hander will again be a Citi Field fixture in 2021.
The owner of a 3.76 lifetime ERA, the Duke grad spent the better part of six seasons with Toronto before the Mets acquired him at last year’s trade deadline.
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