Marcus Stroman is no longer a member of the Toronto Blue Jays after getting traded to the New York Mets for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson on Sunday.
Here’s how members of the U.S. media have reacted to word of the deal.
Chris Russo, host of MLB Network’s High Heat – Stroman “thinks he’s better than he really is”
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, known for some legendary rants over the years added to his resume Monday afternoon on his “High Heat” talk show on MLB Network with some scalding takes on Stroman.
Below is a transcription of some of the highlights that includes descriptions of Stroman as being “overrated,” a “hothead,” an “idiot” a “dope” and an indictment of his Twitter account.
“As far as Stroman is concerned, I think he’s completely overrated, I think he’s a hothead, to me he thinks he’s better than he really is…
“He’s an OK pitcher is what he is and it sounds like he left that Toronto situation and nobody’s gonna miss him. I mean read the stories in Toronto today. He blew off the media out the door — that’s a no-no — there was a player who said, ‘he used to be my friend’ — Aaron Sanchez said that. Nobody loves him.
“Again, this is one of these guys who thinks he’s a little better than he really is. What he is he’s a third or fourth starter on a good team…
“And you know what, I’m gonna be honest here, I’m going by what I read. I wasn’t there to see him. I’m only going by what the stories right in front of me [say] — there’s 20 of them. He acted like an idiot walking out the door yesterday. He acted like an idiot. Call it like you see it. He acted like a dope.
“You meet the media, you give the guys a couple of quotes. You don’t leave it on your Twitter account. Nobody cares what Marcus Stroman says on his Twitter account. What, do you think America’s waiting with baited breath to hear what Marcus Stroman has to say? You meet the media for 10 minutes, you say hello and then you move on.”
What’s next after the Mets shook up the trade deadline? – ESPN
ESPN’s David Schoenfield takes a look at some scenarios for the rest of the league in the immediate aftermath of the Stroman trade.
Consider the immediate fallout of Stroman going to the Mets for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson:
— Stroman is not going to the Yankees or Astros, the favorites to land the right-hander with a 2.96 ERA. Stroman is under team control for another season, so the trade would be similar in philosophy to when the Astros acquired Verlander, who was signed through 2018 at the time.
— The Mets are apparently going for it, which seemingly would take Noah Syndergaard, one of the best and most intriguing starting pitchers in the rumor mill, off the trade market. In the tight NL wild-card race, things can turn around in a hurry. Four days ago, the Mets were 46-55 with playoff odds of 3.9%. A four-game win streak has made their playoff chances a little more viable, though they’re still six games behind the Cubs, Cardinals and Nationals, who are tied for the NL Central lead and the two wild cards.
Stroman fallout: Yanks, Mets, rotation market – MLB.com
MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand also takes a closer look at what this trade means for a number of teams and also examines what might be next for the Blue Jays.
The reaction to the Stroman deal was mixed, as neither Kay nor Woods-Richardson are viewed as top-tier prospects, though the 18-year-old Woods-Richardson received more praise.
“Simeon is physically developed, has good stuff, but I was surprised by his feel at 18,” one scout said. “He has a chance to be a quality big league starter. He’s a good get.”
A second scout tabbed Kay as “a future No. 4 starter,” while an NL executive sees both pitchers as “back-end rotation guys.”
Mets letting rest of MLB know one thing about their next trade – New York Post
Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculates what the Mets’ acquisition of Stroman means for the rest of the team’s trade deadline plans.
So the full Mets thinking on acquiring Marcus Stroman will not be known until Wednesday at 4 p.m. when the deadline arrives and the full array of what the organization was trying to accomplish will be more overt.
But here is what the Mets have shared with others — they want to win now and they want to win next year and they still believe in the overall team.
Their thinking is that they are sure to lose Zack Wheeler, probably in a trade in the next few days and, if not, after the season in free agency. Stroman gives the Mets the ability to replace Wheeler for the rest of this season and next at a cost with which the Mets are comfortable (about $12 million in his final arbitration year).
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