Toronto Blue Jays: Marcus Stroman Sounds Off on Team Performance

Following a disappointing first half of the season, Marcus Stroman had some harsh words for the performance thus far from the Toronto Blue Jays.

According to Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun, Marcus Stroman was asked a question unrelated to the 5-2 loss against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday which set him off.  The question was related to Stroman’s time with the Vancouver Canadians in A ball instead of his current time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

This led to Stroman sounding off to reporters that his team is “f– terrible.”

The Blue Jays have had a disappointing season, so Stroman’s frustration is understandable.  However, this was not a helpful way of addressing as the Blue Jays will surely face questions of if their young superstar wants out of Toronto.

It remains to be seen how teammates or the front office will react to this comment.

The Blue Jays are currently 43-52 on the season.  They are 23.5 games behind the Red sox and 14.0 games out of the Wild Card.

J.A. Happ, Josh Donaldson, Marco Estrada, and Curtis Granderson are all set to be free agents following this season, so his comment may be geared more towards waking up the front office than his teammates.

Nonetheless, Stroman’s performance sure has not helped them to a better record this season.  Although he pitched like an ace last season with a 13-9 record and a 3.09 ERA in 33 starts, he has not performed well thus far in 2018.

This season, Stroman is 2-7 with a 5.86 ERA in 12 starts.  Through 66.0 innings pitched, he’s allowed 73 hits, 26 walks, and 47 runs.

Stroman finished 8th in last years Cy Young voting, but will most likely not be considered this season.  His strikeout-walk ratio was 2.65 in 2017 and has decreased to 1.92 in 2018.  This is the lowest SO/W ratio of his career.

Stroman’s career ERA is 3.84 and his career FIP is 3.64.  The 5.86 ERA and 4.29 FIP thus far this season are not what the Blue Jays expected to see.

The earliest Stroman can be a free agent is 2021, so was this comment a way to force his way out of Toronto, or was it a rallying-cry for the Blue Jays to improve for 2019?

Stroman may have answered this question through a note posted on Twitter Sunday evening.

Stroman’s note definitely seems genuine.  It is tough to always answer questions unrelated to the game in a proper manner. Especially after a tough series loss against a division rival.

In the note, Stroman pointed out that his comments meant he and his team have both been terrible right now.

Stroman also addressed his love for the city of Toronto and the Blue Jays.  His later note made it clear that he is dedicated to the Toronto Blue Jays.  Therefore, it seems all of this was frustration at the wrong moment more than anything.  However, this may cause the front office to have a larger desire to shake things up in preparation for a winning season in 2019 as playoff hopes in 2018 are bleak.

Next: Futures Game roster review

So what do you see? Genuine frustration bubbling over, or is it time for a change of scenery for Toronto’s ace? Comment below!