Blue Jays: Say it aint “Stro”

Last night Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman allowed one run over seven innings in what could be his final start in a Blue Jays uniform.

The Blue Jays are shopping the right-handed pitcher ahead of the July 31st trade deadline in an attempt to land a top tier pitching prospect. Marcus Stroman has been the subject of trade rumours since the offseason as fans brace for his inevitable departure.

Stroman initially was very vocal on the subject campaigning to remain with the team reiterating his desire to sign a long term deal. After contract talks were not reciprocated by the front office, the 28-year-old accepted his fate that he will likely be pitching with a new organization come August.

Who knows where it all went wrong, but the entire soap opera seems like it could have been avoided. The Jays need pitching and Marcus Stroman is the ace of the staff, yet they do not want him in the picture moving forward. The brain trust would rather take a chance on high-end prospects rather than stick with their proven commodity in Stroman.

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The same proven commodity who sports a 2.96 earned run average and a 3.2 WAR in 21 starts this season. The “Stro-Show” also ranks eighth among MLB pitchers in ERA while also making his first All-Star appearance this season.

So was it his authenticity or his social media presence that sealed his fate, in an era where baseball executives prefer vanilla robots to fill out their roster? We may never know as Ross Atkins has yet to give an honest, non-scripted answer since taking over the GM helm from Alex Anthopoulos. One thing is for certain, Atkins better hit it out of the park when he trades his proven ace for a potential future ace.

So, unfortunately, that was probably the last time Stroman takes the bump in a Jays uniform as the final chapter closes. Say it aint “Stro”.