While the Chicago Cubs could hold on to Marcus Stroman, especially if they can get on a hot streak in the next month, a top MLB insider recently explained why trading him makes more sense for the organization.
Despite a 15-13 record since joining the team as a free agent before last season, Marcus Stroman has been a good addition to the Chicago Cubs. He is a legitimate top-of-the-rotation pitcher and the kind of player needed if a team is to compete for a division title. However, despite having one of the best first halves of his career, the team has not made the most of it.
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The Chicago Cubs are currently seven games under .500 and seven games out of the final Wild Card spot. In general, trading Marcus Stroman at the deadline would be something to consider, but he has a player opt-out for next season that he is likely to exercise since it would pay him less than he is making now.
While the organization still hopes to get back in the playoff race, it seems to make much more sense to move Stroman while they can instead of seeing if he is worth an extension over the rest of the season.
Chicago Cubs record (2023): 38-45
Earlier this week, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal looked a the situation in his “Foul Territory” podcast and offered up a couple of reasons why the Chicago Cubs should trade him. The first is because they won’t have a chance at draft compensation via a qualifying offer.
“Could they trade him? Yes. Could they keep him? Yes. But remember one more thing on Stroman. He’s already received a qualifying offer as a free agent. So he can’t get one again. If the Cubs lose him, they can’t give him a qualifying offer and they can’t get a draft pick as compensation. That is problematic. That is one factor that will come into play when they’re making a decision on what to do with Marcus Stroman.”
– Ken Rosenthal
At least by moving him, they can actually get something compared to nothing when he opts out and leaves in free agency. However, Rosenthal made the idea of trade seem that much more sensible because they could still sign him after the fact in free agency, or another top-line pitcher.
“If they lose him, it’s a deep class of free-agent pitchers [this winter]. The Cubs would be in a position to sign Stroman or go after any of those other pitchers. So it’s not the end of the world, and it’s kind of an expected outcome that they are not going to sign him to an extension before the deadline.”
– Ken Rosenthal
Stroman would likely be one of the best arms on the trade market if he is up for grabs ahead of the August 1 MLB trade deadline.