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Marcus Stroman may not have proposed the Mets in 2020, but instead withdrew from concerns about COVID-19 after recovering from an injury. But his stay in New York is not over. Wednesday, Stroman announced on Twitter that he would accept the qualifying offer, keeping it for the 2021 season at a cost of $ 18.9 million.
Stroman, 29, has compiled an ERA of 4.05 since the start of the 2018 season. He pitched 286 innings during that time and amassed a 2.51 strikeout / step ratio. For his career, he has an ERA of 3.76 (113 ERA +) and a jump-off-to-step ratio of 2.85. Stroman tends to rely on three steps: his low lead from the 90s, a slider from the mid 80s, and a low cutter from the 90s.
Stroman had been one of the best free agents available. At CBS Sports, we ranked him fifth best player and second best pitcher in the market. Here is what we said:
Here’s a fun fact: Stroman has a lower ERA + career than Bauer. He’s lower on the list because he’s likely to be awarded a smaller contract for a number of reasons, starting with his pitch style. Stroman is not a strike or strong-smelling pitcher; he’s more of a contact manager who has forced 60% or more floor balls in four of his last five seasons. As Dallas Keuchel, among others, has shown: strikeouts are paid. Stroman’s peaks were also not as high as those of Bauer. Oh, and Stroman didn’t pitch in 2020 either, retiring after recovering from a torn calf muscle, but not before racking up enough service time to qualify for free agency. The teams were probably not as amused by his Labor King antics as everyone else, but whatever; live, laugh, love and know your worth. Stroman seems to know his, and that equates to a good starting pitcher, even though he’s the second best available.
We can now expect the Mets to line up a rotation built around Jacob deGrom and Stroman. Rookie southpaw David Peterson has probably done enough to earn a nod in the opening day rotation, which means the Mets will have to figure out what to do with their other two spots. It seems unlikely that they will enter the season without making other additions, which means there might not be room for Steven Matz, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman in the top five. Noah syndergaard, for those wondering, had Tommy John surgery at the end of March; it might not be a realistic option until deeper into the season.
The Mets are expected to be players for a number of big names, ranging from free agents like George Springer and JT Realmuto to business targets like Francisco Lindor and Kris Bryant. Most of this excitement and promise was sparked by the recent transfer of ownership which saw Steve Cohen take the reins of the Wilpon family.
Stroman then tweeted the following to Steve Cohen: “After watching the presser, I’m more than happy to play for you sir. I could feel the excitement and passion that you are going to bring daily. Let’s go be awesome!”
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