Stroman Trade Suddenly Looks Like a Colossal Mistake
Controversial trades have become the trademark of Brodie Van Wagenen’s tenure as the New York Mets GM, as his first 18 months on the job have not exactly gone as planned.
Van Wagenen has tried to take the same goal-oriented approach he perfected as an agent and translated that to the Mets front office.
We need a closer and a bat in the middle of the lineup, so let’s get Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano.
Zack Wheeler is going to be a free agent, so maybe Marcus Stroman can be a nice short-term replacement that is available on the trade market.
If the Mets found a way to win the World Series in 2020, these decisions would be considered genius. Unfortunately there may not be a 2020 season, which puts Van Wagenen in a disastrous position moving forward.
After watching Diaz and Cano both struggle in their first season in Queens, everyone thought that would be the worst trade made by the Mets then rookie GM. While Jarred Kelenic‘s promising future could still prove that to be true, the trade for Stroman may just give that deal a run for it’s money.
Of all the players on the Mets roster, Stroman is probably in the best position to capitalize on a bad situation if this season truly is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 29-year-old starting pitcher is coming off the first All-Star season of his career, in which he pitched to a 3.22 ERA across 32 starts. Even without throwing another pitch, Stroman could be the top starting pitcher on the market, as fellow impending free agents Trevor Bauer, Jake Odorizzi and James Paxton don’t exactly jump off the screen.
Stroman was set to make $12 million this season before everything was shut down. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the MLB is proposing that the highest-paid players will receive the greatest reduction in pay through the financial plan they submitted on Tuesday.
Since Stroman makes between $10 and $20 million, he would receive 30% of his prorated salary. For an 81-game season, that would be around $2 million.
With all that being said, it really doesn’t make much sense for Stroman to risk his health when he stands to potentially land a nine-figure contract on the open market anyway.
This season is not looking promising. Keeping the mind and body ready regardless. Time to dive into some life-after-baseball projects. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Brighter times remain ahead!
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) May 26, 2020
If this season isn’t played and he walks in free agency, two promising pitching prospects may have been sent to the Toronto Blue Jays for Stroman to make 11 starts in a Mets uniform in 2019.
New York’s 2021 rotation would only feature Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz, with the hope that Noah Syndergaard could return coming off Tommy John surgery. Anthony Kay, Justin Dunn and Simeon Woods Richardson are three starting pitching prospects that have been moved by Van Wagenen in a futile attempt to win a season that now may never be played.
Also with the MLB Draft being cut to five rounds this year, the chances of replenishing the farm system with some college arms has diminished significantly. Even last year’s crop of draft picks will suffer from the aftermath of the coronavirus, as top picks Matthew Allan and Josh Wolf are about to lose a year in their development with the minor league season all but cancelled.
In a matter of two offseasons, Van Wagenen has depleted the farm all with an eye to contend in 2020. No one could have predicted a global pandemic. Still, the short-sighted approach of the Mets GM could set this franchise back for years to come.
The only path to redemption for Van Wagenen is to sign Stroman a long-term deal to remain with the Mets. Otherwise that trade could go down as one of the worst this franchise has ever made.