Former Toronto Blue Jays ace Marcus Stroman was shockingly traded to the New York Mets on Sunday, after the 28-year-old long rumored to be heading to a World Series contender the likes of the Yankees, Astros, and Red Sox, was actually sent to the 50-55 Mets, who are 11.5 games back in the NL East, and a team six back of the second Wild Card.
Stroman himself may have been the most surprised, however, as media reports alleged that the Blue Jays clubhouse was closed after Sunday’s game versus the Tampa Bay Rays because of a commotion involving Stroman’s reaction to finding out he was traded to the Mets.
Blue Jays beat writer Rob Longley said Stroman’s initial reaction ‘was not pretty’ and confirmed Stroman’s angry response to the trade was the reason the media wasn’t allowed into the clubhouse.
Stroman’s desire to play for the Yankees was no mystery, with Stroman’s father even telling NYC publication Newsday “He was hoping it was the Yankees… He was kind of psyched, maybe hoping to go there. I’m not going to tell you that he wasn’t.”
Stroman liked a tweet on July 9th talking about the Yankees making a trade for him, and two weeks later tweeted he had been a second-half ‘savage’, clearly referencing Yankees manager Aaron Boone famously screaming to the home plate umpire that his players were 'SAVAGES IN THE BOX' (Stroman would later delete the tweet).
Stroman was born in Medford, New York, a town in Long Island that is roughly 60 miles east of Manhattan.
The Mets traded prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson for Stroman, the team’s no. 4 and no. 6 ranked prospects respectively in their farm system.