Mike’s Mets Player Review Series: Marcus Stroman

Now that the 2021 season is over for the New York Mets, we have been looking back at the year that was. After taking a more general view of the offense, pitching, and coaching staff, it’s time to take a deeper dive into the Mets’ players. This series will take a look at every player on the roster for the Mets at the end of the season from A (Albert Almora Jr) to Y (Jordan Yamamoto). The review will look at their season statistics, stories, and what role (if any) they will have next season. We continue the series today with a look at starting pitcher Marcus Stroman.

Player Review: Marcus Stroman

2021 Stats:

Major Leagues: 33 Starts, 179.0 Innings Pitched, 10-13 Won-Loss Record, 3.02 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 158:44 K:BB Ratio, 3.3 WAR

Story: Marcus Stroman accepted the Mets’ qualifying offer in the 2020 offseason in order to rebuild his value ahead of free agency after the 2021 campaign. The move proved to be a prescient one for Stroman, who hadn’t pitched an inning since 2019 after opting out of the season due to concerns about the coronavirus. Stroman was the Mets’ most reliable starter in 2021, making 33 starts and pitching to a 3.02 ERA, a strong performance in a year where many other pitchers got hurt going from the 60-game season back to a 162-game campaign. The Mets also got Gold Glove-caliber defense from Stroman, who was denied the award after the year was over. Stroman was forced to become the Mets’ ace after Jacob deGrom went down in July and performed admirably in the role down the stretch.

Grade: A

Stroman was by far the most important member of the Mets’ rotation in 2021 and his performance helped keep the team afloat while various other pitchers went down around him.

Contract Status: Signed 3-year, $71 million deal with Chicago Cubs

Odds of Returning: 0%

2022 Role: None

The Mets showed little interest in retaining Stroman, actively pursuing multiple free-agent starters to replace him. That effort saw the Mets end up with Max Scherzer as Stroman ended up going to Chicago on a three-year deal worth $71 million with the Cubs. Reports began to emerge that the Mets viewed Stroman as a potential clubhouse problem and his problematic liking of a tweet that referred to a Mets’ beat reporter with a racial slur certainly didn’t help that perception. Stroman will now look to start anew in Chicago.

Check back next week as our Player Review Series continues with a look at starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard!