Cubs should keep Marcus Stroman |
Marcus Stroman is enjoying arguably the best season of his nine-year career in the second year of his three-year deal with the Cubs. However, it appears very likely that Stroman will opt out of his contract and become a free agent after this season.
As I mentioned in the article earlier this week about why the Cubs would look to trade Stroman, he was named to his second career All-Star game earlier this month, has shared the MLB/NL lead in ERA at multiple points this season, is near the MLB lead in wins. His ERA has never risen above 3.24 all season long. Not to mention, Stroman’s best-pitched game of his career came on Memorial Day with his complete-game shutout, where he allowed just one hit. So with the prospect of Stroman opting out after this season, rumors have begun to swirl about Stroman potentially being traded at this year’s trade deadline — especially since the Cubs have struggled to get over .500 and a third straight selling season at times has seemed imminent. However, that has also begun to generate some steam about a potential Stroman extension — to keep him in Chicago long-term. Although, despite Stroman’s desire to stay a Cub, there has not been much communication between the organization and Stroman’s camp. “My agent and I made multiple attempts to engage them on an extension,” Stroman tweeted earlier this month. “Club wasn’t interested in exploring it now. We will see how it plays out! Love everything about the Cubs organization!” Stroman also did not hesitate to acknowledge the other aspects of the situation. “I know how narratives get created in media from the top down,” Stroman told reporters after his tweet. “Once it starts to creep towards the trade deadline and how they try to make it sound like players are unsignable or don’t want to be here, I want to be here more than anything.” But there is no denying that baseball is a business. The Cubs are already paying Stroman $25 million per year, and as he approaches his age 30-season and beyond — how much sense does it make to give Stroman a pay raise at this stage in his career? Especially when you look at the eight MLB pitchers currently making more than Stroman, the contracts of Chris Sale, Yu Darvish, Jacob DeGrom, and Stephen Strasburg stick out like sore thumbs among future Hall of Famers (although aging) like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer and Gerrit Cole. However, Stroman is the best athlete of all of them and feels that should play a role in the Cubs’ willingness to trust him with a contract that will take him closer to 40 years old. “I want nothing more than to be a Cub,” Stroman told reporters recently. “I kill myself 24/7 on and off the field to perform, to keep my body in position, to keep my mind in position. I truly believe I prepare like nobody else, so I know my worth.” Plus, the veteran has never pitched better. While many think it may make sense to maximize your potential return on Stroman while he is throwing well if he isn’t going to sign with the Cubs — doesn’t it make more sense to keep a player who is at the top of his game in Chicago for the long term, a place he has been adamant about wanting to be? As opposed to setting back the rebuild by getting rid of a top-of-the-rotation arm and banking on prospects to impact the 2026/2027 Cubs, why not put your eggs in Stroman’s basket and extend your ace, who is at the peak of his performance and wants to play for the Cubs for the years to come? The pay needs to make sense, but the way MLB contracts have grown, there is no deal that won’t feel like an overpay. Somebody will give Stroman the 30+ million dollar per year contract he wants, so why wouldn’t the Cubs, one of the wealthiest franchises in the sports, keep their guy in town as they inch toward contention? It makes way too much sense. You’re better off with Marcus Stroman on your team now and in the future than without him.
