Stroman open to playing for Mariners after players pitch him on Twitter

Members of the Mariners pitched free-agent right-hander Marcus Stroman the idea of signing with Seattle, and it looks like the 30-year-old is open to it.

Mariners reliever Paul Sewald, who used to play with Stroman on the New York Mets before spending last season with Seattle, tweeted at his former teammate about playing in the Pacific Northwest.

Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford joined in on the pitch.

The Mariners are among a handful of teams interested in Stroman, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Other clubs reportedly eyeing the veteran hurler include the Mets, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, and San Francisco Giants.

Stroman's groundball pitching style - his 50.8% groundball rate ranked fifth in the majors last season - would fit in well with the strong defensive infield of the Mariners. Crawford, Ty France, and Dylan Moore combined for 17 defensive runs saved in 2021. Seattle also has 2020 Gold Glove winner Evan White on its roster.

The Mariners' rotation ranked 19th in ERA and 22nd in FIP last season, relying heavily on its bullpen to finish a surprising 18 games above .500.

Stroman posted a strong 3.02 ERA and 3.49 FIP in 33 starts for the Mets a season ago.