TORONTO – Marcus Stroman says he and Aaron Sanchez remain friends, even if they aren’t as close as they once were.

“We’re still friends,” Stroman said Friday at Rogers Centre. “We’re not as close, but we’re still friends. I know everyone’s speculating here and there. We’re still good.”

Though Stroman and Sanchez spent previous winters working out side by side, that hasn’t been the case this off-season.

“We’re not as close,” Stroman said. “Obviously we go our separate ways, we’re around different people, but we’re still friends. Just ‘cause we’re not together every single second of the day, people lose their mind. It’s crazy. It’s crazy to see.”

When a Reddit user noticed that Stroman and Sanchez weren’t posting together as often on social media, some Blue Jays fans started to worry.

“That would never happen 10 years ago,” Stroman said. “You would never even see this debate. We just keep that in perspective.”

Stroman said he’s not letting outside speculation distract him from his on-field goals.

“I’m so far removed from that stuff,” Stroman said. “My mentality, my space right now is so clear that honestly that stuff is just in one ear, out the other. Right past me. I don’t even pay any mind to any of that to be honest.”