NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Marcus Stroman #0 of the New York Mets in action during an intra squad game at Citi Field on July 17, 2020 in New York City. (Photo: Getty)
On Monday in front of reporters Mets’ pitcher, Marcus Stroman announced that he would be opting out of the 2020 season after reaching the required number of service hours to be eligible for free agency. Stroman primarily cited coronavirus concerns as his reason for opting out, “There’s just too many uncertainties, too many unknowns right now to go out there, and truly just put the health for my family and myself first and foremost,” he said.
While Stroman had yet to reach his true star potential, he was a first-time all-star in 2019 and even received Cy Young votes in 2017. This comes a week after another Mets player Yoenis Cespedes opted out without telling the team that he planned to do so. This is a big blow for the Mets who have not made the playoffs since 2016 and have their best chance this season with the larger playoff format with the number of teams qualifying going up from 10 to 16.
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