A day after signing with the Chicago Cubs, Marcus Stroman tweeted a thank you to the Mets organization and fans.
“HUGE THANK YOU to the @Mets and the city of New York for the last few years! Created some friendships that will last forever,” Stroman tweeted. “Thank you to the staff and coaches for always helping me prepare to the highest degree. Nothing but love to all the fans who supported us through it all!”
Even before the Mets signed Max Scherzer, they had been focusing their attention elsewhere on the free agent market for starting pitchers, exploring the possibility of signing Kevin Gausman (before he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays) and Jon Gray (before he landed with the Texas Rangers).
During the process, Stroman liked one tweet alleging the Mets were racist for pursuing the pitchers they were linked to instead of him, and liked another tweet that referred to a reporter as an ethnic slur.
Stroman was the Mets’ best pitcher in 2021 and the only member of the starting rotation who was reliable and stayed healthy for the whole season.
But despite the above and despite a glaring need in the rotation before landing Scherzer, the Mets had minimal interest in bringing him back.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].