When Marcus Stroman joined the Mets at the 2019 trade deadline, an energy was sparked back into Citi Field and the Mets community as a whole.

The one-time All-Star and Gold Glover put up decent numbers after being traded to the Mets in 2019, going 4-2 with a 3.77 ERA. While the Mets missed out on the playoffs, fans were hopeful that Stroman would be a mainstay in the rotation for the foreseeable future.

It seemed to be a good fit too. Stroman grew up in Medford, NY, just two hours outside the city and he loves to be under the spotlight. He had a little bit of that playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, but the excitement for him to be coming to the “Big Apple” was palpable on all sides.

After opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID and an impressive 2021 campaign, Stroman is now ripping into his former team as they decided not to re-sign him and went in a different direction for 2022.

Why Stroman is upset

On Twitter, Stroman has been abrasive with fans who were wondering why he didn’t stay in New York.

Rather than taking the high road, Stroman has proceeded to continuously rip into his former team, and specifically new Mets’ GM Billy Eppler who Stroman has never even worked under, writing,

“His lack of awareness in his previous position is being exposed to the public now. I’m beyond thankful I’m gone from that organization.”

While the Angels were unsuccessful during Eppler’s time at the management helm, he has been anything but unimpressive in his short time with the Mets. New York has already made four big signings this offseason, the crescendo being perennial Cy Young candidate Max Scherzer.

And there are still rumors that they may sign former MVP Kris Bryant too.

It’s clear that Stroman feels indignant that his old team passed on him to pursue other options. He did have an impressive 2021 campaign, finishing 10-13 with a 3.02 ERA and logging the most starts and innings pitched of any Met last season.

After a season and a half with the Mets, New York is ready to move on when it comes to starting pitching, and Stroman needs to understand that that’s just the way this business goes sometimes and that it isn’t personal.

Who’s really in the wrong?

Stroman is usually a reliable and confident pitcher when he’s on the mound, but off of it he’s starting to prove to be a loose cannon. Stroman was signed by the Chicago Cubs to a three year, $71M contract at the end of November.

Rather than simply being happy to get a fresh start in another big market, Stroman has decided that it’s best to try and make an enemy of his former team. It’s clear that Stroman’s animosity towards the Mets is coming from a place of indignation and jealousy.

Clearly Billy Eppler is not a bad GM, as he has already signed Eduardo Escobar, Mark Canha, Starling Marte and Max Scherzer. Stroman is entitled to feel upset that he won’t be continuing his career as a Met, but the way he’s going about it right now is straight up unprofessional and should be a red flag to the Cubs.

By lashing out towards fans online, Stroman’s behavior is just setting himself up for embarrassment come the 2022 season. He has a lot of big words to back up on the mound, and now he has to hope that the Mets don’t play well in 2022.

Stroman is proving why it’s never a good idea to make an enemy of your former team and that unprofessional conduct can only have humiliating results.

For a player who’s 30 years old and has been in the MLB since 2014, this is just pathetic. Cubs management, players and fans should take note that this is the new pitcher they’re getting.