Blue Jays: Saying the right things, but Marcus Stroman won’t be back

There was a bit of noise about an old Blue Jays friend on Tuesday when Marcus Stroman said that he’d be open to a reunion with his old team.

That’s lovely for a headline, and even some feel-good memories from a few years ago, but there’s a better chance we see Jose Bautista come out of retirement and pitch out of the bullpen.

For what it’s worth, I think it’s great that Stroman said what he did when he commented on Twitter that he’d consider choosing his old team in free agency over the winter. That said, I can’t imagine that he’s actually serious about the idea unless the Blue Jays are backing up the Brinks truck for his services. I’m sure Stroman is smart enough to know that’s not going to happen any time soon.

That said, he’s also smart enough to know that making a positive comment about his old team looks good for his image in a number of ways. There’s no sense in stoking the flame of what could have turned into a bigger feud between the right-hander and the Blue Jays, especially as he looks to secure what will likely be the most significant contract of his career. Nothing good comes from reminding people that you’ve had issues with your employer in the past, or adds any fuel to the idea that you could be a problem of any kind. Stroman may be an outspoken player, but he’s anything but stupid.

As for the Blue Jays, I’m 99.9999999% certain that they won’t be pursuing a reunion with Stroman, even if they miss out on bringing back Robbie Ray, who is also set to hit the open market. I’m confident the Jays would prioritize Ray over any potential target, they may also be interested in retaining Steven Matz, and they could even pursue an extension with Jose Berrios now rather than waiting until after the 2022 campaign. If none of that works out, there are several interesting veterans on the market that could be had for a lot cheaper than Stroman, and could come with the potential for a lot less baggage.

For what it’s worth, this isn’t meant to be an article slamming Stroman at all. In fact, I’ll readily admit that he looked pretty dominant at times with the Mets this season, and that it’s very likely that he’ll secure a nice long-term deal over the winter. The Blue Jays could certainly do worse than bringing him back as far as his talent is concerned, but the dynamics of the clubhouse have changed quite a bit in the short time he’s been gone.

Stroman is a natural leader and the kind of player that stands out for his individuality. It’s entirely possible that he would mesh well with the new generation of the Blue Jays, but he really does seem to have a different personality from this generation of the franchise. For example, you really don’t see much of anything from any of the current Blue Jays on social media with the exception of maybe Alek Manoah, while Stroman has built several brands by using platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Again, there’s absolutely nothing with that, but now it feels kinda off brand for the Blue Jays these days. Even with four All-Stars, MVP candidates, and a likely Cy Young, they really are talked about as a group more than individuals, with the exception of maybe Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

I could completely off on that last point, but I’m confident that I’m correct that Ross Atkins and his team won’t be making Stroman an offer during free agency this offseason. The divorce between the two parties wasn’t very pretty, and now that the Blue Jays have put together a new core and a new generation of this team capable of pursuing a World Series championship, I’m all but certain that the Stroman chapter has closed in Toronto for good.