Ex-Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman rips Anthony Bass after LGBTQ controversy

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Outspoken former Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman has weighed in on the Anthony Bass controversy — or so it appears.

Responding to a link to a Toronto Star story on Bass’ apology over the Jays reliever’s sharing sharing of an inflammatory anti-2SLGBTQ+ post earlier this week, the Cubs pitcher didn’t hold back.

“None of his teammates or staff want him in their locker room,” Stroman tweeted on Wednesday morning.

The remark shouldn’t come as a surprise from Stroman, who was dealt from the Jays in 2019 after a bitter end to his time with the team. But it’s also an indication that the turmoil surrounding Bass isn’t likely to disappear any time soon.

On Tuesday, Bass issued a brief and contrite apology for the incident — which blew up after he shared the post on Monday.

“As of right now, I am using the Blue Jays’ resources to better educate myself to make better decisions going forward,” Bass said in a short meeting with the media. “The ball park is for everybody. We include all fans at the ballpark. We want to welcome everybody.”

Prior to that, the pitcher apologized to manager John Schneider and general manager Ross Atkins, then did the same addressing the team in the clubhouse. Though Stroman is four seasons removed from his time with the club, he has remained in contact with some on the roster.

The timing of the Bass affair couldn’t be worse for the Jays, who have elaborate and heavily marketed plans for a Pride Weekend on June 9-10.

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In addressing his reliever, manager John Schneider bluntly said that the actions of Bass don’t “represent our overall feelings as an organization.”

Though the team didn’t make any senior management available to discuss Bass, it issued the following statement on request from the Toronto Sun.

In part it reads “individual player sentiments are not representative of the club’s beliefs.”