Stroman: 'It'd be cool' if Toronto fans boo Price

Marcus Stroman, now the Blue Jays' putative (though inexperienced) ace, speaks glowingly of David Price, whom he shared a clubhouse with for three months during Toronto's magical 2015 season and now considers a dear friend.

Still, when Price returns to Rogers Centre in April sporting a Boston Red Sox uniform, Stroman hopes the Toronto fans won't be sentimental about the left-hander's brief but memorable stint with the Blue Jays. In fact, Stroman said, a little hostility would be pretty nice.

"I think it'd be cool if they booed him," Stroman told Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling. "He's on a division rival - you have to boo him. There's no friends when it comes to competition."

Stroman, the effervescent 24-year-old who made four regular-season starts (and three playoff starts) for the Blue Jays in 2015 despite tearing his ACL in March, won't have to wait long to square off against his buddy, either. The Blue Jays will host the Red Sox for their inaugural home series of 2016, and there's a good chance the two could be pitted against one another that weekend.

"I'm happy he's in Boston - I'll get to see him all the time," Stroman said. "And I get to pitch against him. It's awesome. I get to pitch against one of my role models, one of my mentors, and one of my buddies. It's going to be fun. I've been texting him about it. It's going to be a fun rivalry for a bunch of years."

Stroman, however, may be one of only players on the planet who'd relish a matchup against Price, who earlier this month received the largest contract ever given to a free-agent pitcher ($217 million). Since his 2008 debut, Price owns a 2.41 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP in 21 starts against the Blue Jays, and has lost just once in 15 career starts at Rogers Centre.

"He deserves every penny - I'll be the first person to say that," Stroman said. "There's not many guys like him in the game of baseball. Honestly, there's not. He's the first one on the field, he's the last one to leave, he's the glue that keeps everyone going. He seeks relationships with everyone in the clubhouse. And I'm talking everyone - even staff. Everyone loves him. He does it the right way. He definitely left a legacy - with me and with the team as well. One of the best guys I've ever been around in baseball."

But, despite the special relationship they share, Price will likely remember that Stroman encouraged Blue Jays fans to boo their erstwhile ace when he returns to Toronto in 2016.