Marcus Stroman explains negative reaction to being traded to Mets

Marcus Stroman was heard in the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse reacting angrily to the news that he had been traded to the New York Mets on Sunday, but the right-hander says that was because of the way the deal was handled — not where he ended up.

In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Stroman said he was “shocked” the Blue Jays traded him to the Mets. However, he insisted the negative reaction that was heard from him was directed at Toronto’s front office.

Stroman said he was shocked by the deal to the Mets.

Said commotion was him voicing displeasure with Toronto execs over how certain things were handled during the process.

— Matt Ehalt (@MattEhalt) July 29, 2019

Marcus Stroman: "I was definitely shocked…. Knowing it was New York was followed by a level of excitement. I'm excited to be a New York Met. I can't wait to get there and be a part of it."

— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) July 29, 2019

Stroman probably wants to make sure he gets off on the right foot with his new team, but that is hard to believe given everything we have learned in the past 24 hours. For starters, multiple reports claim Stroman was angry he was traded to the Mets because he would have preferred to go to a contender. Perhaps Toronto’s brass assured him that would happen, which would explain the frustration.

Not only that, but Stroman’s own father confirmed that his son wanted to play for the New York Yankees. Still, he claims Marcus is happy to be heading home to New York, where he grew up.

The Mets entered Monday six games behind in the NL wild card race. It is starting to sound like they will keep Noah Syndergaard, which could indicate they believe they still have a chance to make the playoffs. That has to make Stroman feel a little better about the situation than he did on Sunday.