Marcus Stroman has announced on Twitter that he will accept the Mets’ qualifying offer. Metsmerized first reported that he planned to do so (Twitter link). By accepting, Stroman will return to Queens on a one-year deal worth $18.9MM.
Stroman indicated that new owner Steve Cohen’s passion and commitment to winning played a role in his decision, writing: “After watching the presser, I’m beyond excited to play for you sir. I could feel the excitement and passion you’re going to bring daily. Let’s go be great!”
Stroman’s decision to accept the qualifying offer removes arguably the No. 2 free-agent starting pitcher from the market this winter. It’s of note that he’ll accept his QO as well, given that he and fellow QO recipient Kevin Gausman are both represented by agent Brodie Scoffield of Klutch Sports. Every pitcher is different, of course, and Scoffield has had the past 10 days to explore the different markets for both pitchers, but it still could offer a portent of what lies ahead for Gausman.
For the Mets, Stroman’s decision takes an immediate bite out of their 2021 payroll, but Stroman at one year and $18.9MM nonetheless represents a solid value for a club expecting to increase spending under its new owner. With Noah Syndergaard on the mend from Tommy John surgery and Steven Matz looking like a non-tender candidate, the Mets were thin on options beyond ace Jacob deGrom and impressive rookie David Peterson.
Stroman now gives the Mets a solid mid-rotation option with a strong track record to slot into the second or third spot in that rotation. He didn’t pitch in 2020 due to both a calf injury and an eventual season opt-out, but the longtime Blue Jays hurler has fared well in a hitter-friendly home park and division for the majority of his career.
From 2014-19, Stroman put together a 3.76 ERA and 3.64 FIP with averages of 7.4 strikeouts, 2.6 walks and 0.83 home runs per nine innings pitched. He’s one of the game’s foremost ground-ball pitchers, inducing grounders on 56.6 percent of balls put in play against him, which helps him to limit the long ball but is also cause for some concern given the Mets’ poor infield defense. Of course, returning president Sandy Alderson and whoever he hires to fill out his front office will have ample opportunity to put together a stronger defensive unit this winter should they choose.
Stroman joins deGrom ($33.5MM), Robinson Cano ($24MM), Jeurys Familia ($11MM), Dellin Betances ($6.8MM) and Brad Brach ($2.075MM) as the sixth player on a guaranteed contract currently on the books for the Mets. (The Mariners are paying $3.75MM of that Cano money, and $13.5MM of deGrom’s salary is deferred — although he’s also owed $10MM of a deferred signing bonus this coming January.)
Add in a notable arbitration class headlined by Syndergaard, Michael Conforto, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, Dominic Smith and J.D. Davis among many others, and the Mets’ commitments could quickly jump north of $140MM. Still, that’s a pretty tepid number for a club whose owner just proclaimed: “…this is a major market team and it should have a budget commensurate with that.”
Cohen naturally added some caution, noting that his Mets will not spend “like drunken sailors,” but it’s clear that even with Stroman on board at a relatively premium rate, the Mets have plenty of room in the budget to continue adding pieces. That becomes all the more if Matz and other borderline arbitration candidates are cut loose, as is widely expected. Most in the industry expect the Mets to be in the mix for the market’s top free agent, with Citi Field being an oft-speculated landing spot for J.T. Realmuto and George Springer alike.
8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH
No brainer that he would because he hates the Mets (and thus calls their QO bluff when they wanted a draft pick) and because he knows he’s not worth that amount anyway. Not sure why so many in the previous thread were saying he would decline.
PitcherMeRolling
This is the worst take I’ve ever seen.
8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH
Not sure why you wouldn’t read your own posts.
PitcherMeRolling
That sucked. Wanna try again?
8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH
You’ve had enough. I don’t like kicking folks when they’re down.
PitcherMeRolling
Strike 2
8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH
Let’s see if I can string you along for another banal response. Now be a good lackey and respond. Probably with “Strike 3.”
PitcherMeRolling
Aww, you NEED the last word but want to make it sound like it’s actually important to me. It’s ok, lil guy, I’ll leave you be.
8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH
Not even entertaining. Yawn. Millions of swimmers and YOU were the best your daddy had to offer? Yeesh…poor fella.
antcarlo27
Bro, you’re an absolute clown. Are you like 13 years old?
8ManLineupNoPitcherNoDH
That’s a clown question, “bro.”
justwhoami
Down with the patriarchy
whynot 2
Your desperate need to have the last word is both funny and sad
whosyourmomma
Love how so many people nowadays have keyboard courage. I get that both don’t want to back down but it’s funny how tough people are when they’re not face to face. PitcherMeRolling must be “lil guy” Stroman’s relative, agent or part of his entourage!
George Greenleaf
Got emmmmmm
jakerafferty87
There’s 1 part of that take I agree with, he’s not worth 18.9MM
jakerafferty87
Plus a draft pick..
George Greenleaf
It’s a good trade off. He gets more than he’s worth and the Mets fill a rotation spot for the time being.
curtism88
Haha Agreed! No one would stay with a team so they don’t receive a compensatory draft pick. If he didn’t want to stay, he wouldn’t have. In reality, he probably doesn’t think he could get more on the open market because of COVID
johnnydubz
It’s irrelevant since COVID is still around and he doesn’t feel safe. He will sit out this coming season. If he doesn’t hopefully the Mets should take him to court/suspend this scam artist
jimthegoat
@johnnydubz on what grounds?
kdot
Lol get real. You really think Cohen wants to start off his tenure as Owner like that…
DocBB
It’s true…well the part about him not being worth it is.
joeyrocafella
This seems not very well thought out
BearcatBuckeye94
Imagine thinking someone takes a QO because they hate the team they will be forced to play for.
GASoxFan
More likely his agent said that he bad mouthed enough of the teams (with money to spend on FA pitching) that his market was so thin he wouldn’t see close to that in free agency – especially after having not thrown a pitch in over a year.
PitcherMeRolling
Aside from the White Sox, who do you think he “bad mouthed”?
Roll
The yankees are another and i believe he also bad mouthed the blue jays as well.
PitcherMeRolling
So maybe 3 teams? And that’s assuming that those teams wouldn’t sign him because of something he said.
padam
Hates the Mets, yet grew up as a Mets fan. Go figure.
LordD99
I thought he was a Yankees fan? Or maybe his preference when in Toronto was to be traded to the Yankees, which would make sense, since the Mets were still owned by the Wilpon’s.
johnnydubz
He threw a hissy fit in the locker room when he found out he was traded to Mets. He lied to the fans last year saying he couldn’t wait to play and faked an injury to collect service time to hit UFA.
jimthegoat
@johnnydubz Where is your proof of him faking an injury?
bronyaur
The proof is in Guilani’s briefcase.
Koamalu
@bronyaur, that is the take of the day.
metfan4ever
can we trade a player who accepts a QA because if so trade him to the Yankees if he’s a fan
jimthegoat
@metfan4ever not until June
koos
Please cite evidence. This isn’t Washington DC where you can say “people are telling me..”
kelticknotz
He shot his mouth of in spring training about the direction the jays were going. That signed is exit card with the Jays. He wanted to go the the Yankee’s and likely still does and he was totally pissed off when Jays dealt him to the Mets. Last year he slagged Jays players, this year he was spouting that the Yankees should sign him, now he says he won’t play for LaRusso and he hasn’t even been asked.
He accepted the QO from the Mets but I’d be surprised if he plays the full season with them.
PitcherMeRolling
He was specifically asked about playing for LaRussa. If you have make stuff up, you’re probably not right.
PitcherMeRolling
I don’t agree with the OP. But, as someone who grew up a Mets fan, hating them actually makes some sense.
dugmet
Uhhh. Marcus loves the Mets. He grew up on Long Island.
Logjammer D"Baggagecling
He Hates the Mets? He grew up a Mets fan. He took the QO because he hates the Mets. That makes no sense. 18.6 mil guaranteed for 1 year. If he rebounds he cashes in. Very simple.
Questionable_Source
I’m pretty sure whoever extended this guy a qualifying offer hates the Mets.
bronyaur
Let’s assume that the market for starters per unit of WAR in 2021 is about $8.5 mill. if Stromboli lands 2.5 WAR, it is a fair deal.
2.5 WAR in 2019 would be about the 40th best mlb pitcher.
Joggin’George
That’s a baseless assumption
metfan4ever
can we trade a player who accepts a QA because if so trade him
davidk1979
Awesome now sign Morton and Quintana
Sideline Redwine
Morton is not going to NY. And Quintana? Lol sure. Why anyone would sign him is beyond me.
cwsOverhaul
Take Quintana over Stroman any day.
Koamalu
Stroman was better from 2017-2019. Throw 2020 out because of the short season and all the other problems.
jk
Was thinking the other day about this. If I am a possible contending team, isn’t it risky to depend on these starting pitchers that chose to sit out this season?
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Quintana would be a good addition if cheap. If the asking price is high, forget about it. He should be a low risk high reward guy at this point.
filthyrich
Lefty arms always seem to find a job.
5 years younger than Lester.
Both will probably be signed by someone.
chopper2hopper
Apparently he thinks he’s overrated too
PitcherMeRolling
Or he did it for the exact reasons he said. Comprehension is key!
chopper2hopper
*critical thinking* is key. Think beyond what a known hot head has said through Twitter and look closely at his career, recent performance and decisions, along with the current market.
PitcherMeRolling
Inserting your opinion as the impetus for someone’s actions isn’t critical thinking, it’s not even thinking.
chopper2hopper
Also, maybe he’s had conversations with new ownership about building a team that can go from NL East cellar dweller to World Series contender within the 1 year he just signed for. Would make sense based on his comments then.
chopper2hopper
Marcus? Is that you??
PitcherMeRolling
You mean you should go off what he said? What a wild idea, glad I thought of it.
chopper2hopper
No, I mean this player is overrated. See original post. We’ve officially gone in circles. Nevermind me suggesting you give critical thinking a try. That’s far beyond you right now. You may go now.
PitcherMeRolling
Yeah, that’s what happened.
Rangers29
I am surprised by this. Very. Now go get one or two of Morton, Lynn, Kluber, or even Bauer.
leefieux
Hopefully, Bauer
bigdaddyt
Dude you need to relax on Lynn not everyone wants him
Rangers29
You know what, I see a lot of people tell me this now (deservedly so, might I add), so I’m going to challenge myself to not say Lance Lynn’s name for a week. I will not bring up his name anymore for the next week. Until next Wednesday when he gets traded.
shane
Smart move. He wouldn’t have got what he wanted especially with a draft pick stuck on him.
kodion
Too bad he took the easy way out. I was curious to see how well a free agent play would work out for him
g4
You’ll find out next year.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Yes, next year after he says something else stupid to jeopardize his chance.
kdot
More smart than easy.
stymeedone
Pretty sure his agent tested the waters and found teams concerned with giving up a draft pick to sign someone likely to sit out as COVID is still here. Gausman does not have that worry.
ExileInLA 2
To be fair, he didn’t sit out bc of covid. He sat out bc he didn’t want to get hurt right before payday on what he knew would be another failed Mets season.
Now, even after taxes and agent’s commission, he has $8mm+ in the bank (on top of what he probably had before). $10mm+ in your early 30s is financial security if he isn’t stupid.
BobGibsonFan
When a closer like Brad Hand gets released because of $10 mil and every team passes on him at $10 mil… Every player should think twice before turning down a QO.
filthyrich
7 relievers make $10m or higher.
Hendriks, Melancon unsigned and could easily make that list 9.
Yankees have $40m in the bullpen already with 2 elite lefties so they really didn’t need Hand.
Dodgers have $30m but I’d guess they rather invest in Hendriks than Hand if they’re going to push out a $40m bullpen.
Surprised Phillies wouldn’t go for Hand.
Red Sox, Mets, Jays, White Sox, Nats…
He can still sign for $8-9m and be a top 15-20 rather than a top 10 reliever.
I think a lot of teams have a bit of a budget earmarked for the bullpen, and many teams are probably hoping to land Hendriks with whatever bullpen budget they plan to have?
BobGibsonFan
There was no competition for Hand… no negotiating… It was, if you want him, take him. I don’t see why someone didn’t claim him. It’s a 1 year deal for a solid closer. A team that thinks they have a shot next year could have taken that risk. Nationals always need a closer… Braves always need relief… Rockies are desperate for pitching… the Angels.
Just boggles my mind.
Joggin’George
Yea, I thought he was gonna get snatched up by one of the first ten or so teams eligible to take him. I don’t get it either. Wish the Mets would have grabbed him.
filthyrich
I think Rox are going to be cutting payroll or standing pat if anything. They need to pick a direction. Some good arms and elite bats to build around but they talk like they’re going to trade Arenado/Story instead of maximizing talent while these guys are around.
And the rest, even with competition, I’d still rather be looking at Hendriks, Melancon and maybe Rosenthal. Some will go even cheaper with Treinen or Soria etc
Some will overspend at other positions and force themselves to go cheap at bullpen. Very volatile position to be investing in. Kimbrel, Miller, Familia, Ottavino, Kelly. These more expensive relief signings are kind of a coin flip.
Whichever team loses the musical chairs probably gets Hand at $9m is my feeling.
cgallant
Damnit
WhiteSoxWinner
So yesterday he knew that he was going to accept the QO and not test the FA waters, so he decided to take a shot at Tony LaRussa. Not saying he is wrong or right about what he said, as he is entitled to his free speech. But what a cowardly move
pinkerton
no it wasn’t
PitcherMeRolling
He would’ve taken that shot regardless. You apparently haven’t been following Stroman’s career. You don’t have to wonder what he’s thinking, he tells you.
Prospectnvstr
You’re absolutely correct. You may or may not agree with what Stroman says (thinks) but he has no problem saying what’s on his mind. Sounds like EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, who posts our thoughts on these boards.
whosyourmomma
So PitcherMeRolling if in a position to, would you continue advising Stroman it’s a good thing to continue speaking his mind? I mean good lord he will bury himself with his actions on social media or the mound one day. Also, sometimes people don’t give a damn what other people’s opinions are. Especially when the opinions come from a crazy person who acts like he’s 6’6 270 but he’s really like 5’9 180.
PitcherMeRolling
I wouldn’t tell another another grown man, who’s doing quite well, how to live his life. He knows what’s important to him a lot better than I know what’s important to him.
He’ll bury himself? You mean he’ll make slightly less money playing a game he loves?
The end part is gibberish and doesn’t have anything to do with the topic at hand.
kroeg49
I am a 60 year White Sox fan and I agree about La Russa. He is a terrible signing and will make it very difficult to reign in anything of top value during spring training. I also don’t really seeing him meld with our young core of players.
leefieux
I hope Reinsdorf comes to his senses and cans him. I despise LaDouche-a.
Mlb1971
Kroeg49 – I can’t stand LaRussa and think his tenure will go something like Bobby Valentine 2012 Red Sox debacle…… tears in Chicago this year…… I absolutely do not understand what the White Sox front office was thinking. LaRussa is a terrible choice….. He is way to old to be a baseball manager… he should have run for president of the USA
Confortoismyspiritanimal
The only reason Bobby V’s Red Sox tenure failed? He didn’t wear glasses or a mustache.
Angry Disgruntled Sox Fan
Won two World Series with the Catdinals
Koamalu
He hasnt managed in a decade.
BearcatBuckeye94
Its cowardly to say you don’t want to work for a genuinely bad person?
bobtillman
Tony L. might be Lucifer himself, but he’s still a tremendous manager. The current idiocy, that he can’t relate to the modern game, is bizarre. MLB has been trying to catch up with HIM for decades.
If I need heart surgery, I don’t think I’d care about the surgeon’s politics or moral turpitude ,just that he was capable.
MoRivera 1999
A relationship with a surgeon is short-term in nature. You might feel differently and have different criterion if you had to work with that surgeon day in and day out for eight months of the year, assuming you had good alternatives to choose from.
BobGibsonFan
Tony L can turn good players into Hall of Famers… just look what he did with Harold Baines.
Joggin’George
Heh!
Whifff
What a clown show indeed. Big talk that we won’t entertain an offer from Chicago when he knew he wasn’t entertaining an offer from anyone. Paaaaa’leeeeze.
JOHNSmith2778
He only made 21.5m so far, COVID shortened season then opting out cut his 2020 from $12m salary to about $1m in actual earnings. COVID shortened season cost him about 7.5m and then opting out cost him about 3.5m.
jdgoat
I’m pretty sure he just doubled his career earnings, so it’s hard to say this was a mistake. But even if he has a good year, the 2021 free agent pitching class looks very deep assuming the veteran pitchers have success this upcoming year. The lack of QO will surely help next offseason, but he might not even be a top 3 free agent pitcher like he was this year, so there is a chance this does backfire.
Ducky Buckin Fent
Stroman has made $30,330,600 in his career to date.
So no he didn’t double what he’d previously earned but it’s still a helluva good payday.
Koamalu
COVID but his 2020 earnings by 63% so the max he could make was $4.4 million. Opting out cut it by another 73%. He earned $1.18 million in 2020. That puts his career earnings at about $22 million.
jimthegoat
Doesn’t that mean a lot of teams will be losing pitchers to FA and as such there will be more teams looking for pitchers?
hozie007
Not a lot of MLB pitchers under 6-ft tall doing what he does….good for stroh-show.
VonPurpleHayes
Smart move by Stro and the Mets. It’s not a strong SP market, and the Mets needed 3 SPs. They are a much better team with Stro. Glad to see his ego didn’t get in the way.
Appalachian_Outlaw
I’m glad he took it so Atlanta wouldn’t be tempted to make him an offer. He’s not a bad pitcher. The results just don’t match the hype.
This was probably a smart move for him, too. He gets to make a lot of money in one year while test-driving the new regime in NY.
joeyrocafella
He saw Cohen’s press conference and got excited about possibly winning a World Series. Stro has always been an energy guy so while this move is a bit surprising it isn’t totally out of the blue. Now that he knows the Mets have deep pockets and a championshipship mentality, he may start talks on an extension of he has a little bit of success at the start of the season… He is going to try to appeal to a NYer like Cohen that he should sign guys that fit that NYer mentality, like Stro.
PitcherMeRolling
You know who’s really good at fielding ground balls? Francisco Lindor
Koamalu
Andrelton Simmons is even better if defense is all you are concerned with. Mets do have the kind of players the Indians are looking for in return for Lindor, but do you think the Mets are really ready to compete for WS title in 2021?
PitcherMeRolling
Yes, Andrelton Simmons is a better defender. Good job, you found something that is also true.
Are the Mets ready right now? No, of course not. Will they be ready in March? We’ll see.
kreckert
Smart.
BearcatBuckeye94
Huge for Mets. Once Thor is back rotation is
1. DeGrom,
2. Thor
3. Stro
4. Peterson.
Add one more SP (I want a Lindor/Carrasco Trade) and someone who can be SP and move to bullpen once Thor is back and that Rotation is pretty fire.
377194
A Bauer add would be nice.
dugmet
Would you throw Lugo in as the 5th? Matz — can he rebound?
Joggin’George
That rotation is missing 2 pitchers until (and if) Thor returns. Pretty shaky. I’d add at least two pitchers to that and neither needs to be Bauer.
hereallnight
I was hoping we were rid of him, so he could begin blocking on social media even the most mildly critical of another team’s fan base.
throwinched10
I guess it’s easy to blast a team and say that “no amount of money” will make you sign with them when you already have an offer on the table from another team that you are going to accept.
Ducky Buckin Fent
So there’s that, right?
bhambrave
He was asked a question and he answered it. It’s not like he lobbed an unsolicited attack on LaRussa.
bbatardo
Smart move by him, no team was going to throw a lot of money at him since he hasn’t pitched in a long time. He needed a pillow contract and 18.9M is a very nice one.
ScottCFA
Smart move for a guy who:
– didn’t play at all in 2020
– will increase his lifetime baseball earnings by 60%
– and will be able to test the FA waters next season without costing the signing team a draft pick and without a likelihood of a prorated salary (for 2022).
braves25
This is definitely the right move! I thought the Mets were dumb for offering him the QO.
Larry David's Joe Pepitone Jersey
I think the QO was a no-brainer. Stroman obviously isn’t risk-free, but the Mets (on paper, at least) have partially addressed a critical need without any long-term commitment or massive expenditure.
bot
Mets will struggle to get FA to sign there. The ol bird in hand vs 2 n bush mentality.
Rays shoulda kept Morton and flipped him to mets so he doesn’t sign in Boston or Tor….
BearcatBuckeye94
Proof of Mets having trouble? All reporting out there is saying players are telling their agents to contact mets.
bot
Their history. Only players that sign are over paid. It’ll be more of same this year
PitcherMeRolling
This is nonsense.
bravesfan
Darn. Was hoping the Braves would have a shot at him, although that was more wishful thinking. Mlbtr had him projected to make 17 mil a year on a 4 year deal. Accepting this qualifying offer isn’t exactly a no brainer. Him and his agent must agree that this offseason market is gonna be extremely weak… otherwise I’d hope to secure a multi year deal worth its weight
bot
Or seen the other dozen plus guys pass on offer to only earn much less in FA
Bill M
Yeah but I don’t think anybody would have given him 4 years. Not even 3. Weak market or not. He’s a solid 3 guy, not really a solid 2 guy. I keep reading that he’s the second best FA starter on the market and I think there are 3 or 4 guys ahead of him. Now I wonder if the Mets will go after Bauer, considering that would put 2 a-holes in the rotation
DTDATL
Unusually smart move on his part, no chance he’d get that much on the open market
LordD99
No. Not as an AAV, but he’d get way more total. Smart move because he banks a lot money this year, avoids a suspect free agent market this year, and enters next year without a QO attached. It’s the confident move.
jb10000lakes
That’s what Dak Prescott used to think.
wright1970
Now go get Bauer and we should be fine in the rotation!! get a catcher(McCann) and JBJ and a couple of relievers
DarkSide830
they’re my bet to sign Bauer. he goes a long way towards helping the stability of that rotation (health wise that is, given the rest of their arms have injury concerns)
keysox
I guess he isn’t signing with White Sox.
Thank God
Ancient Pistol
He wants to stay in NY and knows the Yankees probably won’t sign him. Now, he stays on a team with some good upside and is still in NY.
Dan Hunter
Mets might finish in fourth place now.
That was Cohens “big” move.
whyhayzee
Now that the country has come to its senses and avoided the deeply flawed thinking of over 70 million Mericans, let it rip Marcus. Things are looking up for the Mets.
Make the Mets great again!
djpiglatin
He better take it. Who else is giving him more than 12 a year?
DarkSide830
this should be a good move for him if he’s healthy this year.
Patrick OKennedy
This is all about the players’ trepidation going into the off season where most teams are crying poverty and not spending much on free agents. If Stroman believed that he’d bet a better deal on a multi year contract elsewhere, he’d jump at it.
Scrap1ron
Stroman knows when he’s stealing money.
PitcherMeRolling
Stealing? If you followed him at all, you’d know that’s he constantly working on his game. Also, how is it stealing to accept something that someone offers you?
Scrap1ron
He’s not worth 18.9 million and he realizes he would not get anything like that on the open market.
PitcherMeRolling
That’s you saying something. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. But, it doesn’t describe stealing.
its_happening
Is he the only guy constantly working on his game? Fairly certain lesser talents constantly work on their game to improve. Guys aren’t paid close to $19-mil just for working hard.
PitcherMeRolling
Yeah, if you take part of my statement out of context, it probably won’t make a lot of sense. Weird
hossmandu
Angels Fans — “I can’t believe (insert name of GM/Owner” let Stroman get away! He is obligated to accept any offer we put out there! How dare he stay with the Mets.”
DirtbagBlues
ITT: a lot of internet tough guys whose feelings were hurt by a tweet.
its_happening
Or they thought it was a stupid thing to say. Feelings do not enter the equation reading his tweets.
bhambrave
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them work out a three year deal.
LordD99
It’s possible, but I think unlikely. Abreu did that with the White Sox, but he wanted to stay there. I’m not sure that’s the case here. Yet. This gives both sides a chance to check each other out over the course of a year while getting something beneficial. Stroman a very good salary, and the Mets a hopefully very good pitcher.
Dan Hunter
There goes JTR, Springer, Bauer to other teams.
PitcherMeRolling
Yeah, the Mets were definitely going to sign those 3 for $19M this year.
Dan Hunter
One of those
But gone now..
PitcherMeRolling
Because you say so? Nope! That’s not how anything works.
Dan Hunter
Its the Mets.
If they can find their foot they will discharge a pistol at it.
PitcherMeRolling
More airtight logic . . .
DirtbagBlues
Yep. Cohen is probably out of money now.
Dan Hunter
Nope.
Not near out of money.
But he most likely thinks Mets are all set.
PitcherMeRolling
Did you just not pay any attention to what he and Sandy Alderson said yesterday? Or are you one of those people that just makes up whatever you want the answer to be?
Dan Hunter
Believe it when facts are in.
PitcherMeRolling
So you get to make up whatever and the rest of us need to wait until facts are in? Nope!
BartoloHRball
lol. Cohen is the richest owner in MLB (~$14B), is on record stating he wants to win championships, and he is willing to spend $ to make them a first class org that can compete with teams like LAD. MLB owners actually expressed concern that Cohen would come in, throw a bunch of $$ around, and buy up FA talent since so many teams have already made it known that they need to slash payrolls.
The Wilpons (majority owns before Cohen bought them out) were probably the worst majority owners in the MLB. They needed the MLB to give them a substantial loan to cover payroll post-madoff. The Wilpons constantly were playing shell games with insurance payments and they had massive debt coming due, which was why they needed to sell. In contrast, Cohen can buy another sports franchise or two, in cash….so it likely won’t be the same sad sack club that could only shop in the “scratch & dent” section of FA bc their owners were ridiculously cheap.
jimthegoat
Well. Mets fans were complaining about him opting out right after he reached 6 years of service time and them only getting 60 innings out of him. Now they will get more.
Inb4 they start complaining about those innings being at a greater dollar figure than they would have been at had Stroman opted out before the season started.
parkers
If the right deal appeared they could add Stroman to the mix. Provides depth if he stays or flexibility if they want to deal
MikeyHammer
When reached for comment, LaRussa said, “Do you know who I am ? I’m a big shot !”
LordD99
When he trashed the White Sox yesterday, I thought that was a sign he was accepting the QO and not going out on the open market. He’s already had bad words to say about the Blue Jays, had a negative public exchange with Brian Cashman (never a good idea as the man holds grudges) and now trashed a HOF manager on the White Sox. Reject the Mets offer, and you might have already eliminated four high-revenue teams from bidding on your services.
I was originally leaning toward him rejecting the QO, but as others noted, he has a bit of an ego, which some suggested as why he would go out on the open market because he’d overvalue himself. I thought it was why he’d stay. He doesn’t lack confidence, so it would make sense for him to delay his free agency by a year. Bet on himself. Get a high salary now, wait for the COVID situation to clear, remove the QO and the corresponding draft picks as it can’t be offered again, and put up another good season. As a reminder, his last two full seasons in 2019 and 2017, his ERA+ is in the 130 range. That’s very good, even though some Mets fans don’t want to recognize that. He has a skill of suppressing home runs, which is valuable in today’s all-or-nothing game.
The ego move AND the smart move is to do what he did. Bet on himself and go for a lot of money now and a bigger payday next year. I also think that’s what the Mets wanted him to do. They just added a good to very good starter to their 2021 rotation, and on a one year deal. Both sides can now see if they want a longer-term relationship a year on.
bloomquist4hof
I think he could normally get 4/65 but all this talk of teams going lean and his QO, maybe not. He had to be worth 20 mill on a one year no matter what next year so maybe surprising, but can’t blame him to just take it and wait out until next year.
377194
Smart move. He’s not that good.
sss847
i don’t understand this dude at all
los_leebos
Adds up. He was talking smack about specific teams like a guy not about to enter the Free Agent Market.
PitcherMeRolling
I do not understand all the love for Bauer and hate for Stroman.
Bauer’s career: 1190 IP 1279 SO 1.265 WHIP 3.90 ERA
Stroman’s career: 849.1 IP 695 SO 1.292 WHIP 3.76 ERA
And Stroman pitched most of his career in the AL East.
NY_Yankee
Stroman is the kind of guy who will give up 2 runs in a 2-1 loss or 5 runs in a 6-5 lose. Not my kind of pitcher
PitcherMeRolling
I hope this is satire. Because it’s not based on anything grounded on facts or reality.
jimthegoat
lol
TradeRumorUser
The hate stems from the fact he opted out of the season this year after accruing enough service time
PitcherMeRolling
Hating someone for that is stupid. He did what’s best for him, just like the rest of us do every day.
TradeRumorUser
I agree I certainly don’t hate him for opting out our personal health is not a game to play with but theirs was plenty of Mets fans who do for that reason
LordD99
True. The hate comes from opting out of the COVID season; clipping his dogs ears, which fans really don’t care about; and Stroman being overly confident and Mets fans assuming he was going to reject them. When he puts up a good 2021, same fans will be insisting Cohen sign him.
filthyrich
Mainly because one got to pad his stats in a short season against some of the worst offenses in the league, while the other little piggy stayed home.
Bauer:
30th offense *2
26th offense *3
24th offense *1
23rd offense *2
20th offense *2
5th offense *1
He was good in his only test, and dominant in playoff against the #2 offense as well.
These offenses would all have ranked higher if they hadn’t faced Bauer.
Bit of chicken vs egg involved here, but he certainly had an easy go of things in 2020 compared to what a normal season where he had to face non-Central teams might have looked like.
NY_Yankee
Here is my question? If a team could sign Stroman or Charlie Morton for one year who is the better option? I am going Morton
bloomquist4hof
Tough call. Morton has been better but he’s older. I think they project similar short term. Morton was a monster a in 2019 so I’d go with him.
LordD99
But that wouldn’t be the option. Morton wants a one year deal, while Stroman is younger and would be signing a multi-year deal. A smart team could sign both in that scenario.
BartoloHRball
Morton….based upon him taking less money and the fact he *only* wants a short-term deal bc he already has talked retirement. He is on record saying that he lives in FL and would greatly prefer to play close to home….if he decides to play another year. I am slightly biased because I really wanted the Mets to sign him before he joined the Rays, I think he either re-ups with TB or retires. ATL is probably the only other team he’d consider bc of proximity to FL. Maaaaybe he would consider the Mets if he wants to chase a championship and ST is in FL.
Stro was great for the Blue Jays and pretty mediocre for the Mets. His aggregate numbers are pretty good considering all of the changes to emphasize more offense across the league., so either guy would be fine. Stro seems to be liked by the players and pre-covid there were plenty of overpaid pitchers. It’ll be interesting to see the market outside of Bauer and him bc I expect some bargains to pop up.
xSpecBx
Smart move on his part. Having sat out the 2020 season, no team was going to offer him a large multi year deal. At best he probably would have gotten a larger 2 or 3 year deal with a lower AAV and he probably wasn’t going to get a larger 1 year deal than the QO. Seems like a good deal for both sides.
kodion
Aside from a down/injury year, the only problem with this is the possibility of complications arising from CBA negotiations next year throwing a wrench in his FA plans. Wouldn’t be surprised (much) if Stro worked out an extension
Mets need to up their in-field defense now to maximize this signing.
Tom1968
So much for yr 1 of cohens w.s. dream
its_happening
Agent must’ve come to him and said a few teams were interested in multi-year deals that either fell short of salary expectations/demands or the teams lining up weren’t his preference. Now he bets on himself and he’ll never receive another QO again. Quite a luxury. A strong 2021 makes him one of, if not, the best free agent pitchers a year from now.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
No amount of money could make me care! Ok, that’s not true, but no amount someone would actually be willing to pay me for this.
DocBB
No brainer…he wasn’t getting more elsewhere. The free agent projection for him on this site was way out of whack.
Crypto Nerd
Smart move IMO.
Take the 1 year deal, after a year of rest.
The same year covid dropped revenues.
Pitch in a pitcher friendly environment.
Hit the market in 2021 after a platform year.
I could see it working out for both.
BartoloHRball
He also hits the market w/o risk of having the qualifying offer draft compensation hanging over his head because a team can only do it once (or maybe it’s just not 2 consecutive years…I can’t recall)..
92jays
He needs the money to buy another estate and boat and car and side by side
jvent
If the Mets don’t sign Bauer, I would make a trade for Carrasco not Lindor maybe offer Nimmo,Rosario and Matz than sign Odorizzi (till Thor is ready than Odorizzi to the bullpen)
Sign Springer, Hand,McCann,Odorizzi and Jeffress.
That’s 5 Or 6 signings and 1 trade. Resign J.Wilson and E.Ramirez for the BP.
Rotation of deGrom,Carrasco,Stroman,Peterson & Odorizzi. OR
deGrom,Bauer,Stroman,Peterson & Odorizzi
DH hopefully. Cano
Alonso,McNeil,Gimenez,Davis & McCann
Smith,Springer & Conforto
Bullpen: Lugo,Hand,Diaz,Jeffress,Wilson,Familia,Ramirez etc.
PitcherMeRolling
Nobody wants Matz
Canosucks
Mickey Mouse Callaway ruined Matz.
Changing his delivery with the Mouse saying his arm was dragging through behind his body late in the delivery and getting his arm leading is the main reason for his demise.
It was Matz hiding the ball with his arm back that made him successful especially against right hand hitters!
Now he is a home run hitting machine against righties.
Matz can be fixed.
PitcherMeRolling
Even if he gets fixed, I’m not sure anybody wants to pay over $5M for a guy that might have a 4.00 ERA if things break well. Especially with all the pitching available.
its_happening
Blue Jays would.
PitcherMeRolling
What makes you say that?
Joggin’George
Nimmo alone is too much to give up for Carrasco
Idioms for Idiots
Guess he was serious about not pitching for LaRussa and the White Sox. LOL
gvnbuist
no way he was getting $19m anywhere else this year…
jimmertee
Stroman has the potential to be elite. He has yet to reign in his ego and emotions on the mound and it costs him about every 2Nd game when he blows an inning. If he can mature, the Mets will have a very good pitcher, if not he is an overpaid #3 in the rotation.
I suspect he will do very well in 2021 considering he is motivated by a big contract.
filthyrich
I suspect he might do the same in 2021 as he did in 2020!
Where was that motivation in 2020?
He was electric in WBC and when he’s on is very fun to watch.
In a world where most pitchers can’t throw the ball if they’re not on the mound, it is a real joy watching him field his position.
If he can be durable and mostly quiet for a full season, he would be doing himself a huge favour.
SportsFan0000
Mets should jump on Bauer, Realmeato or McCann, Hand
and then fortify their bullpen.
And, a true CF and/or SS like Lindor may be worth aiming for.
Only get Lindor if Lindor will sign and extension.
Bill M
That’s it?
nottinghamforest13
He did this solely to avoid playing for Tony La Russa.
PitcherMeRolling
Because there were only 28 other teams he could’ve chosen from. Seems like playing for LaRussa was easily avoidable.