Marcus Stroman is off to New York but it’s to the Mets, not the Yankees.
Now Stroman’s dad, Earl, says the former Blue Jays pitcher was hoping to go to the Bronx, not Queens.
“He was hoping it was the Yankees a little bit,” the elder Stroman said in an interview with Newsday. “He was kind of psyched, maybe hoping to go there. I’m not going to tell you that he wasn’t. If he was to leave Toronto at all. Don’t forget, Marcus loved Toronto, his heart was there.
“The brass [management] didn’t kind of appreciate him as much as the fans did. The whole country took to him and they took to me.”
The Blue Jays traded Stroman to the Mets on Sunday night for two pitching prospects, ending a long saga between the team and their top pitcher. Stroman, who is a Long Island native, had frequently alluded to his tense relationship with the Blue Jays’ front office on social media, and with his contract expiring after the 2020 season, his trade value was likely never higher than it was heading into Wednesday’s trade deadline.
But a trade to the Yankees would have put Stroman in a World Series-contending rotation, while the Mets enter play Monday six games out of a National League wild-card spot.
Despite the long odds, Earl Stroman says his son will still do everything he can to help his team make a run to the playoffs.
“Anything he can help them do to win he’ll be happy,” he said. “Marcus is happy about being home, hopefully they make a push towards the playoffs.”
Even if the Mets don’t make the playoffs, Earl said he’s looking forward to seeing his son pitch live more often.
“His hometown base now, I’ll get to see him play a little bit more,” he said. “Marcus wants to win, he’s competitive. That kid wants to win and he wants the ball whenever he can.”
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