When the New York Mets traded two highly-touted pitching prospects for Marcus Stroman, it was clear they were making a win-now move. Stroman was able to contribute towards a surprising second-half run last summer, but he was really acquired to be a big part of the 2020 rotation.
Now the Mets find themselves in a real precarious situation with Stroman, as the season is postponed indefinitely, yet their team control over the 28-year-old continues to run out.
In a recent agreement between the MLB and the MLBPA regarding the issues created by the pandemic, the two sides agreed that regardless of whether this upcoming season is played, every player will be credited with a full year of service time. This means that if the Mets never play a game in the calendar year of 2020, Stroman will still become a free agent.
Ahead of his impending free agency, Stroman announced on Friday that he will now be represented by Klutch Sports. Klutch Sports was founded by Rich Paul, who is a long-time friend of LeBron James. Paul represents James and a long list of fellow NBA players, including other All-Stars such as Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons.
Now it appears that Paul is trying to establish roots in the MLB, after Ken Rosenthal reported that Klutch Sports has acquired the Tidal Sports Group, which previously represented Stroman and fellow players such as All-Star Alex Bregman and former Mets prospect Jarred Kelenic.
Suddenly Stroman’s free agency has taken on new meaning, as he now becomes the face of Klutch’s baseball division. He will soon become their first prized baseball client that will hit the open market.
In a situation that is very similar to when Yoenis Cespedes became a free agent as Roc Nation’s first star client, Stroman’s new agency is definitely going to try to make a big splash this winter. But the Mets need to keep him in Queens at all costs.
After the devastating news of Noah Syndergaard‘s Tommy John surgery, the 2021 starting rotation is beginning to look rather thin behind Jacob deGrom. Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha only signed one-year deals, so outside of Steven Matz, there is little rotation depth to speak of.
New York traded one potential long-term option when they acquired Stroman, dealing Anthony Kay, just months after moving another in Justin Dunn as part of the now-infamous trade with the Seattle Mariners. Current prospects such as David Peterson could slot into the rotation at that time, but it’s going to be very hard to make up for losing Zack Wheeler, Syndergaard, and Stroman all in short order.
Stroman has proven throughout his career that he is an above-average starting pitcher and he could be a great No. 2 behind deGrom for years to come. The New York-native has quickly become a fan favorite and has shown no signs of regression on the heels of his first All-Star campaign in 2019.
Unfortunately if they don’t play this season, and he walks in free agency, the Mets could have traded two pitching prospects for Stroman to make just 11 starts. That would be one very tough pill for Brodie Van Wagenen to swallow.
