Blue Jays’ Stroman on report of possible extension talks: ‘News to me’

Marly Rivera explains why the Toronto Blue Jays could be using rumours to drive the price up on Marcus Stroman.

Marcus Stroman downplayed the possibility of a contact extension with the Toronto Blue Jays Friday, responding to a tweet suggesting the Blue Jays could extend him instead of trading him by Wednesday’s deadline.

“That’s news to me. Lol,” Stroman wrote on Twitter.

The original report came from Andy Martino of SNY, who reported that the Blue Jays had told teams they could extend Stroman instead of trading him. As Martino noted, that may simply have been a negotiating tactic.

To this point, the Blue Jays’ asking price for Stroman has been high, according to teams involved in the pitching market.

The 28-year-old pitcher offers prospective suitors a durable, controllable, playoff-tested pitcher at a price far less than a similar player would cost on the open market.

After his performance on Wednesday, Stroman’s earned-run average fell to 2.96, the third best mark in the American League. His overall record on the year sits at 6-11 after picking up the loss against Cleveland.

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