It’s not the first time Marcus Stroman trade rumours have been at the forefront of a lost Blue Jays season.

With Toronto in the midst of a rebuilding year, the future is more uncertain than ever for the 28-year-old all-star, who has been the team’s most valuable starter in 2019 by a distance. There’s a strong argument to be made that from the franchise’s soaring highs to the more recent lows, he’s been the Jays’ most consistent pitcher since he made his major-league debut in 2014.

Regardless of the outcome leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, Stroman will always be seen as a polarizing figure in the city. From the extraordinary comeback after an ACL injury in 2015 to his recent all-star selection — and every shoulder shimmy in between — the right-hander from Medford, N.Y. has always made headlines.

To many, a line has been drawn in the sand when it comes to the Stro Show. Maybe the chip on his shoulder was too thick cut for some and left him alienated. But if Stroman does leave town, the Jays will be losing more than a top-of-the-rotation arm. According to several young hurlers, they’ll also lose an influential mentor to the next generation of Jays pitchers.

“He’s just a good guy to have in the clubhouse. He brings a good vibe. He really just sets the example for all the guys,” said 25-year-old Ryan Borucki, before his first start of the season last week. “As a young player, you’re trying to find yourself and you’re really trying to find your groove and if you just look at a guy like him — that has all the confidence in himself, in everything that he does when it comes to pitching — how can you not want to emulate that?”

That confidence has been a major talking point over Stroman’s career. It’s the attribute behind his mantra, HDMH (Height Doesn’t Measure Heart), which he turned into a clothing line and has used to inspire many young baseball fans. The boldness he brings on the mound and on social media has drawn plenty of criticism over the years. But Blue Jays prospects such as Jordan Romano, who made his big-league debut in June and is currently in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons, don’t see it that way.

“A lot of people just don’t know him. If you don’t know a guy, you can say whatever you want about him. But I think if people actually took the time to get to know him, they’d definitely have different opinions,” Romano said. “I’m telling you from experience, he’s a nice guy, a good teammate and does a lot of things for the younger guys to make us feel comfortable.”

As the Jays navigate a rebuild that tests patience and passions, the locker-room door at the Rogers Centre may as well have been taken off the hinges. Forty-five different players suited up through the first 100 games of the 2019 season — many of them for the first time in the majors.

The early days in a big-league clubhouse can be intimidating for a rookie ballplayer. For Romano, that wasn’t the case, thanks to a kind gesture that sparked an unlikely friendship between a minor-league hopeful and major-league starter that has now spanned three years.

“In 2016, I came down (to Dunedin, Fla.) early to work out. Stroman was in the big leagues, but I was working out with him and it kind of just felt like I was one of the guys,” Romano said. “It didn’t feel like I was in the minors, he was in the majors. We were all just guys going through the same thing.”

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Just a year earlier, Romano and Stroman really were going through the same thing after both suffered significant injuries: Romano tore the UCL in his right elbow, Stroman tore the ACL in his left knee. When they first met at the team’s spring training facility, they were both preparing for their comeback seasons.

“I had a beat-up glove that I’d been using for five years. I had it through college and then pro ball. He saw my glove, and he’s like, ‘Man, what are you doing with that thing? Let me get you a new one.’ The next day he shows up with a brand new Nike glove and gives it to me. I was like, ‘Wow, this is Stroman’s glove.’”

Just weeks earlier, Stroman had brought friend and teammate Aaron Sanchez to his old stomping grounds at Duke University to train with hopes of a breakout season. Sanchez was vying for a spot in the Jays starting rotation after spending most of the previous year in the bullpen.

“I’m excited for you guys to see Aaron,” he told former Star columnist Richard Griffin in 2016. “We’ve been working at it pretty hard. He’s put on some really good weight and he’s really strong in areas where he wasn’t strong in the past, and I think you’re going to see a different Aaron this year.”

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Sanchez went on to win 15 games over 192 innings for the Jays and was the league leader in ERA (3.00) in his first season as a full-time starter.

Whether he’s inviting them to hang out at his home in Tampa Bay or handing out piles of clothing from his endorsement deal with Adidas, Stroman has continued to share the wealth with younger teammates in recent years. He took Borucki and Trent Thornton on Louis Vuitton shopping trips after their first major-league wins. Thomas Pannone, who has been used as a spot starter this year, has greatly benefitted from sharing the same shoe size.

As much as Pannone loves the free cleats and sneakers, he says it’s the emotional support from Stroman that means the most.

“He was very welcoming when I got (called up to the Blue Jays). He’s got that upbeat personality and kind of welcomed me in and introduced himself,” Pannone said. “He said if I ever needed anything, come to him. He pretty much welcomed me the way a veteran of a pitching staff should.”

Pannone, 25, shone in his debut with the Jays last August, tossing seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball in a win over the Baltimore Orioles. He was riding high until six days later, when those same Orioles touched him up for seven earned runs over 31/3 innings. He was crushed, until an unexpected text landed on his phone.

It was Stroman keeping his word.

“Marcus texted me that night right when we got back to the hotel, and made sure that my mindset was in the right spot and that I was not gonna dwell on that outing,” Pannone said. “I think he did that because he knew what I’m capable of doing, and he was showing support that he was there for me in a tough time. He reached out to me and that was big. I’ll never forget that.”

While Stroman shares much of his life with his one million social media followers between Twitter and Instagram, his leadership style with the Jays has come behind the scenes — most of the time.

“You got my number bro. Whatever you need I got you always. Keep that work ethic,” he tweeted to Romano in December of 2018. “I need a signed jersey when you get called up bro!”

For now, Stroman remains the longest-tenured Blue Jay. And if he does get traded, he’ll be remembered fondly by the young pitchers who follow.

At some point, he might even get that autographed jersey, too.

“I don’t even have my jersey yet,” Romano said, laughing at his own expense. “I’ll definitely get him one — but I need mine first.”

With files from Laura Armstrong

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