On Friday night in Detroit, the Blue Jays laid waste to the Tigers (TOR 12, DET 1), and scouts from several teams watched it happen.
The scouting presence was a heavy one in large measure because Toronto right-hander Marcus Stroman was on the mound. The 28-year-old Stroman is widely expected to be dealt before the July 31 trade deadline, and interested teams were on hand to get perhaps one last look at him.
Which interested teams were at Comerica Park on Friday night? Here's a possibly partial listing:
- Yankees (source: Jon Morosi)
- Red Sox (source: Jon Morosi)
- Braves (source: Jon Morosi)
The Phillies and Padres are also known to have some level of interest in Stroman, and presumably there are others. Anyhow, here's what all those scouts saw:
Stroman with that outing lowered his 2019 ERA to 3.06 after 20 starts. His 93 strikeouts against 34 walks in 117 2/3 innings don't look all that impressive by 2019 standards, but Stroman's ground-ball percentage of 57.1 makes up for it. In this start, he went sinker-slider-cutter, as he usually does, while mixing in a four-seamer and changeup. The deep repertoire is working well for Stroman, and the heavy reliance on sinkers and cutters is helping him induce playable contact. All of this is to say Stroman is looking like a worthy addition.
Stroman this season is owed the balance of an exceedingly modest $7.4 million salary, and he's not eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season. That additional year of control will greatly add to his appeal on the market and, by extension, significantly raise the Jays' asking price. Given how many teams are interested, that asking price figures to be met.
