Poll: Where will the Blue Jays trade Marcus Stroman?

It’s safe to say there aren’t a whole lot of intriguing starting pitchers on the trade market this July. Zack Wheeler’s value has diminished severely after he was placed on the injured list earlier this week. Trevor Bauer has been discussed as a trade candidate, but that possibility seems unlikely now that the Indians occupy a wild-card spot and he’s under contract for another season after this one. Madison Bumgarner seems to be the only first-tier rental option, but even he’s had somewhat of an up-and-down season.

With starters like Homer Bailey and Andrew Cashner whose names have practically been punchlines in recent years being moved and, particularly in Bailey’s case, bringing back intriguing pieces in return, it seems as if the incentive would be extremely high for the Blue Jays to consider moving All-Star starter Marcus Stroman at the deadline. With a 3.25 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over 19 starts (110.2 innings) this season, he’d be by far the best starter on the market if made available, and since he’s not a pending free agent, he’d surely bring back some intriguing pieces that could add some extra ammo to the Blue Jays’ already promising farm system. It’s not as if the 36-60 Blue Jays are going anywhere this season, and with the all-in-or-all-out philosophy that radiates throughout the majors these days, it’d seem logically sound for them to move him and try to get even younger than they already are. And with Stroman looking like the best version of himself this season, he’d have the ability to drastically improve the playoff chances of whatever team he’s traded to.

Of course, the Blue Jays don’t absolutely need to trade Stroman right now. He’s still arbitration-eligible for one more season after this, and though he’ll be due a raise from the $7.4 million he’s making this season, it’s not as if he’ll be so expensive that the Blue Jays won’t be able to afford to keep him around. Considering that they’ve been very good at developing young position players but have struggled to get young pitchers to the big leagues, Stroman might even be a logical extension candidate in Toronto. Though they play in an ultra-competitive AL East, their expansive collection of young talent is probably good enough that they’ll be able to win while the 28-year-old is still in his prime if they ultimately decide to give him a new deal. But Stroman has been somewhat inconsistent throughout his career — he’s been excellent in odd years and average or below-average in even seasons since reaching the big leagues in 2014 — and he’s always going to have durability concerns, both because of his 5-foot-7, 180-pound frame, and because he’s dealt with injuries as a big-leaguer, so there’s certainly an argument to be made that the Jays should try to get maximum value for him while they can.

Where do you think the Blue Jays’ lone 2019 All-Star will end up?