Marcus Stroman Fuels Angels Free Agency Rumours

If you have ever read the replies or mentions on an athlete’s tweet, you will almost always find fans of other teams ignoring whatever the tweet was and begging the player to sign with their favorite squad. Very rarely does the athlete ever engage back. Most athletes tend to be reserved online. Much like in post-game interviews, they answer questions with cliches and act in a ‘so-called’ professional manner to avoid being deemed controversial.

Current free agent and starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is not like other athletes. Whether it be calling out MLB team’s behavior during free agency, the Blue Jay’s arbitration tactics, or getting into beef with ex-teammates, he has never shied away from using Twitter to speak what is truly on his mind. In true Stroman fashion, he wasn’t afraid to indulge a few Angels fans when they told him to bring his talents to Anaheim.

While not explicitly saying he saying he wanted to sign with the Angels, he definitely gave every indication he’d be willing to rep the Halo. The Angels are in desperate need of starting pitching, and with a somewhat thin free-agent starting pitching class, Stroman seems like a likely target.

Unfortunately, Stroman didn’t pitch in the 2020 shortened season after suffering a tear in his left calf. The injury was not serious, and Stroman was in line to make his return in August but decided to opt-out of the remainder of the season. In a statement, he cited COVID-19 concerns as the reasonings for his opt-out.

Stroman has enjoyed a solid career thus far. Over the course of 6 seasons, he has compiled an ERA of 3.76, a WHIP of 1.29, a FIP of 3.64, and a K/9 of 7.4. Stroman would definitely be a welcome addition to the Angels rotation, as Angels starting pitchers ranked 29th in the league with an ERA of 5.52.

Keep in mind that number is inflated by a horrendous season by Julio Teheran, who over the course of 9 starts, was tagged for 12 home runs on his way to registering a 10.05 ERA. With a CY young contending season from Dylan Bundy (3.29 ERA over 11 starts), and solid seasons from Andrew Heaney (4.46 ERA over 12 starts) and Griffin Canning (3.99 ERA over 11 starts), the Angels rotation is just a few pieces away from finally becoming adequate. Adding Stroman would be a step in the right direction.

Some of the Angels die-hards reading this may take offense to what I’m about to say, but I stand by it and have the evidence to back it up. Stroman is the biggest Mike Trout fan on the planet.

Stroman can’t even trash-talk Trout without praising him.

A perennial MVP candidate makes for a great recruitment tool. Players tend to want to play with the best. For pitchers, to be able to have the run support that a Trout-led offense would provide, is definitely an attractive factor when choosing where to sign.

Stroman to the Angels makes sense for both parties. As it currently stands, the Angel’s GM position is vacant. Whoever ends up filling the seat should make the young 29-year-old dream’s come true and let him play with the “best player ever” (his words). The move will hopefully propel the Angels into the playoffs because as Stroman has said, the world needs that.