Marcus Stroman rips Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins after trade to Mets
Before Marcus Stroman even officially started his career anew with the New York Mets after getting dealt prior to the MLB trade deadline, he decided to present some scathing words about the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.
Stroman is slated to his make his first start with the Mets on Saturday, and his tenure with the Blue Jays came to a contentious end, as the All-Star pitcher disagreed with the team’s assessment of him, and refuted reports that he was offered an extension.
“There was nothing offered ever from their perspective. If they do say that, it’s a complete lie. I’m not going to beat around that. I’ve been waiting to take some type of deal since I’ve been there. I’ve been offered nothing,” Stroman said to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun.
Although he’s back with his hometown Mets, after the New York Yankees failed to make a big-name acquisition, Stroman ripped into Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins and his staff.
“I’ve made the all star game. I had a Gold Glove. I threw back-to-back (seasons) of 200 innings and I never heard a word from any of those guys (in the front office),” Stroman said of Atkins.
“I have 800 innings in the AL East, the best division in baseball. I don’t owe anything to anyone. My numbers have kind of proved that as I’ve gone out there every year. It’s a business. I really learned that. If I’m not in their plans, I’m not in their plans.”
The near consensus around league circles is that the Blue Jays received an underwhelming package for Stroman, consisting of pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson. Atkins defended Toronto’s haul by arguing that the team now has control of multiple pitchers that have pro potential.
Stroman thought Atkins’ approach was nonsense, and rightly pointed out that many fans were not on board with his calculus.
Marcus Stroman on stockpiling decades worth of "controllable" players: “I don’t think (we as players) are about saving wins for four or five years from now. I don’t think fans like that either.” #Bluejays
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) August 2, 2019
“I want to win, always, every year,” Stroman said. “I just want the organization to be invested in winning and going out there and putting the best product on the field and doing everything they can to get wins. I think that’s what this game’s about.”
Atkins and president/CEO Mark Shapiro appear intent on building the Blue Jays in their own visage, which they’re well within their right to do. It’s not a popular strategy thus far into their regime, however, and Stroman called them out for the execution.
Marcus Stroman caught up with @thetorontosun and said some stuff. On the #Bluejays purge: “Nobody’s left. “It seems like (management) wanted to get rid of some people, get everybody out and just start their own regime. so … it’s a business. It is what it is."
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) August 2, 2019
Perhaps this will give Stroman the closure he’s been seeking. As it stands, the Blue Jays are toiling, with the ostensible goal of player development over wins for the remainder of the season, while Stroman looks to galvanize an underachieving Mets team that will need to start racking up wins immediately to have a shot at a wild-card berth.
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