Marcus Stroman 'Open' to Blue Jays Reunion
A familiar face has expressed interest in returning to Toronto.
Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman, who spent the first five-and-a-half seasons of his career with the Blue Jays and is now a free agent, teased the idea of returning to the club this offseason.
"I'm definitely open to a reunion," Stroman tweeted in response to another Twitter user who suggested the idea of him pitching alongside Alek Manoah.
I’m definitely open to a reunion. 🤷🏾♂️🗣
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) October 3, 2021
The 30-year-old posted a 3.76 ERA in 789 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Mets at the 2019 trade deadline for pitchers Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson.
After opting out of the 2020 season and then signing a qualifying offer with New York, the right-hander registered a 3.03 ERA (133 ERA+ per Baseball Reference) in an MLB-best 33 starts in 2021.
Should the Blue Jays lose both Robbie Ray and Steven Matz to free agency, Stroman fills an obvious need in the starting rotation.
Whether Blue Jays management would welcome back their former stud pitcher—whose time with the Jays included reported rifts with teammates and quarrels about front office philosophy—is a separate discussion, but it appears interest exists on Stroman's end.
Ethan Diamandas is a contributing writer who covers the Toronto Blue Jays for Sports Illustrated. He also writes for Yahoo Sports Canada and MLB.com. Follow Ethan on Twitter @EthanDiamandas