Former Duke Baseball player Marcus Stroman was traded to the New York Mets on Sunday evening, an absolute shock to the baseball world.
Not surprisingly, Marcus Stroman was traded to New York on Sunday evening.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t to the New York baseball team that you are thinking of right now.
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The New York Mets stunned the baseball world by trading for the former Blue Devil despite the team’s record and playoff status.
Five games below .500 (50-55), eleven and a half games out of first place in the the National League East Division, and six games out of the coveted second Wild Card spot, the Mets seem to have decided to be buyers at the trading deadline.
Adding Stroman to its rotation should bolster the Mets’ pitching staff for the remainder of the season, but still might not be enough to get the team into the playoffs with its very shaky bullpen and inconsistent offense.
Stroman pitched for the Toronto Blue Jays for five and a half seasons, making five starts in back to back playoff appearances in 2015 and 2016.
This season, the Medford, New York native has a 6-11 record and a 2.96 ERA while for his career he is 47-45 with a 3.76 ERA.
The trade for Stroman comes as a surprise due to the Mets’ record and the reports of the team selling its assets at the trade deadline, specifically starting pitchers Noah Syndergaard and Zack Wheeler.
New York sends minor leaguers Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson to Toronto in exchange for Stroman and cash considerations.
Stroman is eligible for arbitration after this season and can become an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Teams that were thought of being in pursuit of Stroman included the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies, all rivals of the Mets excluding the Red Sox.
With many things still to be played out until the July 31 deadline, it is not known yet when Stroman will make his first start with the Mets, but, unfortunately, it does seem that Stroman will not take the mound in significant October baseball again this season.