Twins reportedly targeted Marcus Stroman before trade deadline but didn't hear back

By now, your opinion on the Blue Jays’ decision to trade starting pitcher Marcus Stroman to the New York Mets for a pair of pitching prospects is likely already decided.

Fans and anonymous executives around the league have weighed in, saying they are mostly underwhelmed by the return for one of the more electrifying arms in baseball, and you can reportedly count the Minnesota Twins among those wondering why the Jays didn’t hold out a few days longer to increase a bidding war for his services.

According to Dan Hayes of The Athletic Minnesota’s recap of the Twins’ deadline activity — or lack thereof — Stroman was the top target of the AL Central division leading club, but they apparently never got the chance to top the Mets’ bid of Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 31: Marcus Stroman #7 new pitcher of the New York Mets warms up in the bullpen before a game against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field on July 31, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
Marcus Stroman is a member of the New York Mets now, but the Minnesota Twins reportedly wanted a shot to match the offer. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)

“Stroman was the first target and sources indicated the Twins were disappointed when Toronto didn’t give them a chance to match an offer they believed they could have outdone,” Hayes reports. “The Blue Jays were rebuffed when they originally asked the Twins for either of their top prospects, Royce Lewis or Alex Kirilloff, and never called back before accepting a deal for two New York Mets pitching prospects.”

Would a call back have loosened the Twins’ grip on Lewis (a top-10 league-wide prospect) or Kiriloff (top-15)?

That seems unlikely, considering the Twins didn’t pull the trigger on either of them in order to land one of the other premium arms available, as Trevor Bauer and Zack Greinke went elsewhere while Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard stayed put in New York.

It does raise the question of whether or not the Blue Jays jumped the gun a day or two early on Stroman’s market, and could’ve maybe milked a little extra out of the Mets to make sure they matched whatever Minnesota countered with.

For better or worse, the Blue Jays front office knows exactly what type of player they are targeting, and have shared very high praise of the pieces they got — Woods Richardson in particular.

Whether fans agree with the process or not, the Jays are sticking to their guns about the way they’re building the team. Bidding wars be damned.

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