Blue Jays: Astros “showed interest” in Marcus Stroman

Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman reportedly caught the eye of the Houston Astros earlier this offseason, according to a recent report.

The Houston Astros, who just recently extended All-Star starter Justin Verlander, “showed interest” in Blue Jays righty Marcus Stroman earlier this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic ($).

Rosenthal writes that Houston “might increase their efforts to trade for a starting pitcher who is under control” through the 2020 season, hence their reported interest in Stroman.

At this point, it is unknown whether or not the two teams actually engaged in trade negotiations. Notably, the Blue Jays and Astros have made five trades since January 1, 2015.

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Currently, Houston is set to roll with Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Collin McHugh, Wade Miley and Brad Peacock as their starting five, with top pitching prospect Forrest Whitley also potentially joining the mix at some point in the near future. Last season, the team was first in the American League in team ERA.

Stroman, 27, will be the Blue Jays’ Opening Day starter for the second time in his career when he takes the mound at Rogers Centre on March 28.

This is the third team to have reportedly shown interest in trading for Stroman at some point this offseason. At varying times throughout the winter, the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres have both been linked to the native of Medford, New York.

Last season, Stroman pitched to an ERA of 5.54 and had an xFIP of 3.84. Fangraphs’ Steamer projection system predicts him to boast a FIP of 4.06, an xFIP of 3.91 and an ERA of 4.17 in 2019, putting him down for 177.0 innings across 29 starts.

It is unclear whether or not the Blue Jays are still entertaining trade proposals for Stroman, though general manager Ross Atkins did say earlier in the offseason that the organization could “absolutely” deal him if the price is right.