Blue Jays have reportedly shown 'strong interest' in reacquiring Marcus Stroman

Despite a seemingly messy break up several seasons ago, the Toronto Blue Jays front office has reportedly shown "strong interest" in re-acquiring veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman.

According to Chicago-based MLB analyst Bruce Levine, citing MLB sources, Toronto is one of the leading contenders to land Stroman if the Cubs choose to move him ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

"Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said on Friday that the team's performance can still dictate which direction to go over the next two weeks in the trade market.

"According to MLB sources, the Blue Jays are one of the teams that have expressed strong interest in what may be a Stroman sweepstakes by the last week of July," Levine wrote Sunday, adding talks have been serious enough that both teams "have done their due diligence on the strength of each other's farm systems."

Stroman — who was drafted and developed by the Blue Jays before being dealt to the Mets in 2019 after six big-league campaigns with Toronto — has had a solid season so far, posting a 10-6 record to go with a 2.88 ERA and 3.37 FIP in 20 starts with the Cubs.

There are multiple American League East squads kicking tires on Stroman, according to Levine, who says as many as 10 teams across Major League Baseball could be in the mix. Chicago entered Sunday's action with a record of 43-48 — seven games back of the top spot in the NL Central and a whopping 7.5 games out of the National League's third wild-card spot.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, have been on a bit of a heater of late, winning three straight and seven of their last eight. As of Sunday morning, Toronto held the second wild-card position in a tight American League playoff race and sat seven games back of the Tampa Bay Rays for first in the AL East.

Things didn't end well the first time around

Toronto's reported interest in the Cubs pitcher is certainly interesting, especially with how sour things appeared to be immediately following Stroman's departure.

Speaking to The Toronto Sun's Rob Longley just five days after his trade to the Mets at the deadline in 2019, Stroman blasted the Blue Jays front office, saying it had a plan to "get rid" of everyone.

"Nobody's left," he said. "It seems like [management] wanted to get rid of some people, get everybody out and just start their own regime. So ... it's a business. It is what it is."

Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins, who only took over following the 2015 season, really took Stroman's wrath:

"I've made the All-Star Game. I had a Gold Glove. I threw back-to-back [seasons] of 200 innings and I never heard a word from any of those guys [in the front office]. ... There was nothing offered ever from their perspective. If they do say that, it's a complete lie. I'm not going to beat around that. I've been waiting to take some type of deal since I've been there. I've been offered nothing."

Stroman was drafted by the Jays in 2012 under Toronto's previous front-office regime led by general manager Alex Anthopoulos before making his MLB debut in 2014. He was part of the club's resurgence which included consecutive trips to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016 in the team's first playoff appearances since the early 90s.