Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman has repeatedly stressed his desire to sign a long-term extension with the Cubs, even as he could reach free agency after this season on the heels of a career year. Stroman, who can opt-out of the final one year and $21MM left on his contract at season’s end, has posted a sensational 2.42 ERA (184 ERA+) through 14 starts with a 21.7% strikeout rate that would be the best of his career over a full season while also managing a fantastic 61% groundball rate. Those fantastic numbers figure to make Stroman a worthy addition to any rotation, but Chicago seems uninterested in getting a deal done at the moment. As Stroman himself relayed on Twitter that both he and his agent have made “multiple attempts” to engage the club’s front office in extension negotiations, but the Cubs were uninterested in exploring a deal for the time being.
In a conversation with The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Stroman elaborated further on the situation, telling Mooney that “We’ve been going to the front office from spring training, very open that I want to be here. We’ve continued those thoughts. Up until now, there’s been nothing from their side. No offers, no talks, really, at all.” Stroman goes on to make clear that there isn’t tension between him and the front office, despite the fact that his camp’s desire for negotiations having been largely rebuffed to this point.
It’s possible that the club’s hesitance has to do with their position in the standings. The club is 28-36, good for fourth place in the NL Central and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. While their weak division does provide them some semblance of hope for contention, it’s nonetheless easy to imagine the Cubs selling for the third straight deadline. If they opted to go down that path, Stroman would likely be their most attractive trade piece. In fact, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic recently identified Stroman as an ideal fit for the Giants as trade season approaches, while noting that San Francisco actually finished second in free agent bidding for Stroman’s services when he signed his current three-year, $71MM deal with Chicago prior to the 2022 campaign.
More from around the NL Central…
- Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor is set to receive a cortisone shot in his right elbow, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.) Counsell noted that the injection comes after Taylor received multiple opinions on the elbow sprain that’s kept him on the shelf for the past two weeks. After posting a 106 wRC+ in 250 career games headed into the 2023 campaign, it’s been a brutal season for Taylor, who has slashed just .160/.179/.240 (8 wRC+) while being limited to just 27 games due to the ongoing elbow issues. With Taylor on the shelf, the club has Blake Perkins backing up an outfield trio of Christian Yelich, Joey Wiemer, and Brian Anderson.
- The Reds are still without their usual starting outfield, even after activating center fielder TJ Friedl from the 10-day injured list yesterrday, as left fielder Jake Fraley was placed on the shelf with a right wrist contusion in a corresponding move. While Friedl is enjoying a career season, with a .315/.365/.479 slash line in 43 games this year, the club is sure to miss the contributions of Fraley nonetheless, who has posted a wRC+ of 114 in 123 games since joining the club prior to the 2022 season. With Fraley on the shelf, the Reds figure to use the likes of Stuart Fairchild and Will Benson in the outfield corners.
Don’t overthink this, Jed. Pay the man.
I think their plans are to trade him by the trade deadline.
Even if they were to extend him, Jed is probably offering only three years.
A similar 3-4 year contract is all I’d be willing to give Stroman.
Stroman seems very happy in Chicago and appears to be a great teammate. He’s pitching like an ace this year but historically has been a three. Even now, his FIP is on par with his career averages. I’d probably offer him a very similar 3/71 million extension.
He’ll get 4/100 on the open market. Maybe more.
Pretty obvious he’s a trade chip…..get over it……
It’s fairly obvious, If you believe the article that all the interest in an extension seems to be Stromans. So if a deal hasn’t been done yet I highly doubt it will get done in the next 1 1/2 months. But I’ve been wrong before. Hoyer does things in strange ways. Anyway Ross can’t be a happy camper to hear that.
Cubs saving cash for run at ohtani.
Reds will have an extra $47 a year to throw at Ohtani after Votto and Moose’s contracts expire after this season. How many dingers would he hit in GABP?
While Ohtani would probably set Home Run records in either park there is zero chance of either team offering around half of a billion dollars to get him
Reds would probably have the edge over the Cubs right now, since Ohtani clearly wants to go to a contender, and the Reds appear closer. That being said though, I don’t think his preference is to go to a rebuilding club that’s “close”, and especially isn’t likely to help the cubs case to let Stroman walk to afford more money to throw at him, or the Reds case that in recent history they tend to go back and forth on how far in they’re willing to go to contend. He’s going to get paid very handsomely by a clear cut contender, so anyone on the fringe has better be prepared to show him more than just what they’re offering him financially.
The other problem is prying the checkbook from Castellini’s hands
Yes, but…
After this season, the Reds payroll bottoms out.
Hunter Greene might be the most expensive guy on the books next year, at $3M. That’s CRAZY.
Maybe. But nothing in Bob Castellini’s history of ownership says he is willing to sign a contract that massive. And after all of the money they have paid a mostly unproductive Joey Votto on the backend of his mega deal they not be willing to ever sign another deal that long
It’s a business. If the team is not in a competitive spot then you trade your asset with an expiring contract. If he truly wants to be there, he can sign as a free agent. “Pressure, but no pressure”
Stroman should NOT be negotiating through the media. Mooney is a huge pot stirrer who more than likely is not even a Cub fan.
I disagree to that to an extent. If you want to play somewhere, and people are asking you questions about it, just answer openly about it. Players, especially ones likely to be free agents, are always going to be asked about trade rumblings, chances of resigning where they are, etc. And plenty of fans like to know when a player actually wants to be there. If he’s giving the cubs every chance to negotiate an extension and they’re just ignoring it, I think the fans should absolutely get to know that it’s the team who isn’t doing anything, so they aren’t blaming the player for being greedy or just not wanting to play their longer. If they’re not even going as far as to at least engage to exchange numbers to see if there’s an extension to be had, that’s on them.
I’m a brewers fan, so I only follow them so much as to see how soon it is they’re going to be on us in the standings. But even from that standpoint, they seem like they have plenty enough young talent, so it’s probably the point where they’re going to need to be filling holes with veterans to lead the club. SP is a pretty big key, so if you have a pitcher who’s pitching well, you should want him on your club for that next window. Which could easily begin next year if they put the pieces in place. It’s not a strong division right now. The Brewers are going to be in a very tough point next offseason where they have to decide what to do with Burnes, Woodruff and Adames. Because they’re a club that relies on younger talent that aren’t to highly paid. So they’re likely going to be in a transitional year.
Cubs could easily hold onto Stroman and extend him, trade off a couple of rentals to get some younger talent to potentially fill in some gaps in the future, and then sign a couple solid free agents and be right in the thick of it next year. I know a lot of people seem to think “oh well, we can trade him and if he likes it here he can sign after he becomes a free agent.” Which is possible. But it’s also possible you trade him, the new team he goes to, like the giants perhaps who the article even says was his second choice last time, and they go forward and offer him an extension before he even becomes a free agent. That becomes a big miss for the cubs.
But I say, if he wants to be there, it’s not wrong on him to let the fans know he wants to be, and that it’s the team whose not making the effort to get it done.
Except he’s said that everywhere he’s been. I don’t think he cares where he is, Only that he gets a deal he wants. He’s earned an extension, But the Cubs are trying to build a pitcher strength organization like the Rays. They drafted 16 pitchers in last years draft and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do it again this year. Right now they’re closest P’s to the Majors are pieces acquired in recent trades. So the question is, Are they going to be better than Stroman and when? I’m quite sure Hoyer wishes that HE holds the options on Bellinger and Stroman and had them for just next year. That would fit into the timeline quite nicely. But he doesn’t so now he has tough choices to make.
Brew, I get what you’re saying, but Stroman isn’t putting that out there “for the fans”, he’s trying to pressure the Cubs to pay his price. Notice Stroman didn’t add anything about what his terms were. If he’s really doing it for the fans, he would have added, I’d like something in the neighborhood of a 4 year/$80M deal.
Besides, they had preliminary talks this spring according to this article: mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/cubs-marcus-stroman-had…. so the Cubs know what he’s looking for.
Mike is spot in with his assessment of where the Cubs are, so I won’t go back over it. But right now, the young arms (starter or bullpen) haven’t taken a step forward. So I’m guessing they’re still at a wait a see moment.
And what exactly does, “the Cubs were uninterested” actually mean. That’s how a guy trying to negotiate through the media phrased the situation. It’s entirely possible Stroman’s agent is trying to push the Cubs, and they’ve said, “yeah, we want to talk, you’re great. We want you, but we’re trying to figure out how much the bullpen going to cost. Will Hendricks be a guy we’ll be able to trade or pick up his option. Hold tight Marcus we’ll keep you in the loop.”
That seems incredibly plausible…right? I look at this as a poor negotiation tactic to have not gotten the response you want, and then run this out through the media. All he had to say, is he wants to come back. Instead he tried to throw Hoyer under the bus.
I’ll add, if Hendricks is going to be the guy that started against the Rays and Giants, it probably makes more sense to pick up his option at $16M and trade Stroman.
It’s also plausible, if Hendricks is back in form, that he carries more trade value due to his club option. So it’s entirely possible that the Cubs are waiting to see what value Hendricks can drive before they extend Stroman.
Maybe those answers aren’t good enough for Stroman. In that case, if I’m Hoyer, I start seeing what teams are interested in Stroman.
I’m hoping he will be that guy. I know what you think. I just don’t see him holding up. I’ve been wrong a lot. Amaya, Fulmer, Boxberger, You think I don’t like him because he throws 88. Major Leaguer’s will catch up to him eventually. Actually this last start was the worst thing that could of happened to him. Chasing the no-hitter, The extra pitches, The extra strain of making high leverage pitches. I’m betting his next start gets moved back or maybe he’s ineffective. I was waiting to see if Ross was going to let him pitch the 9th or pull him. Glad Haniger got the hit.
If you thinks his best days are behind him, I’m fine with that, but it really comes across as that he’s a washed up bum…
I’ve posted these numbers before, but find them appropriate context, cause this site has framed that last two years as a disaster for Hendricks. Obviously he was injured last year for a half season, and it’s plausible that he was injured late ’21…
Here is the context for Hendricks in ’21.
He was tied for 9th in quality starts in all of MLB in ’21. Better than Scherzer, Cole, Castillo, Burnes, Lynn, Corbin, Stroman, Darvish and on…
Hendricks had 6 horrible starts where he gave up 45 runs. In the other 26 starts he gave up 51 earned in 157 IP for a 2.92 ERA. 17 starts he gave up 2 or less. 21 starts he went 6 IP or longer.
4 of those bad starts were in August and Sept, where he struggled. That to me, sounds like a guy that was dealing with the shoulder longer than just before he was shut down last July.
Go back and look at his resume. Despite his soft-toss, I’ve heard over and over from managers to players how aggravating it is to face him. Hitters would rather face a guy that comes at them with 98 than face Hendricks. They can adjust to 98, it’s a different animal trying to speed up and slow down with Hendricks because everything comes out of his hand at the same spot, and looks exactly the same, until it isn’t.
So look at those ’21 numbers, look at what you saw against the Rays and the Giants (even the Mets) and how much do you really thinks he’s lost? And that’s only 4 games after being off for a year.
As far as his next start, Hendricks was interviewed during the game on Sunday. He said he felt great. I would be stunned if he gets bumped from his start. The only thing I can see is Ross once again pulling a starter at 80 pitches…and turning it over to the bullpen, because the bullpen is so good. Because that’s just what Ross does.
Also, I’ve never rooted for a Cub pitcher to lose his no-hitter. I find that odd that you were. Hendricks only threw 94 pitches on Saturday. He had thrown 84 & 86 prior.
Maybe he does struggle his next start, but I don’t think that’s an indication that he’s washed up. More that he’s still working his way back from a year off… And frankly a lot of pitchers struggle the start following a near no-hitter. It’s a thing for whatever reason. I assume you’ll be rooting for him to get knocked around.
As far as MLB hitters “catching up to him”. Again, look at his resume. Why weren’t hitters able to catch up to him throughout his career. This is more of a statement that you don’t like that he throws 88. A guy that throws 98 is what you want. For me, I want a guy that gets people out and can pitch deep into the game. I could care less what the radar gun says.
I understand not wanting to give a 33 year old next year a big contract. The guy is putting together a career year. It’s a tough call. Market is loaded with SP next year but cubs could enter the year with only Steele and Wesneski in the rotation. Athletic pitchers can have real longevity. Give him a 4 year offer.
Taillon and Smyly will also be back.
Taillon -Yes. Smyly ? If the wheels come off he might go also. But his option is way cheaper than Hendricks. I could see them keeping him through this year and see how the end of the year pitching wise pans out. Then if they want they could deal him in the off season. But good point.
Wize or wise? I’ll leave it to the spelling police.
I’ve seen conflicting reports on the terms, but I believe Smyly he has 2-year $19M guaranteed with a 3rd year $10M option. Probably like you, I think I’ve read here that there’s an option next year, so I read a number of things and the 2-year plus mutual is what I found on Spotrac and multiple articles like this-
marqueesportsnetwork.com/cubs-bolster-rotation-by-…
I assume Marquee has the correct terms, but maybe not.
That $21M player option seems like it would really depress Stroman’s trade value. The acquiring team would he taking on a huge downside risk if he gets injured – and the Cubs would be unloading that risk by trading him.
Stroman is a top 3 pitcher currently and most likely finishing top ten. Not a chance he doesn’t opt out.
And whoever pays him will do so based on a non repeatable career year. It’s a fools gambit.
Mets, Phillies, Padres, Yankees, and Angels can all use another starting pitcher. They can handle that risk.
Cubs can also pay down this year’s salary to get the player they want.
Ordinarily trading him would make a lot of sense. The Hoyer we’ve seen the last several seasons would’ve definitely done that. But I think it’d be a white flag move this year. He’s having a career year, loves the town and is the leader of that staff and for the most part, their one and only stopper. A solid argument can be made for trading him, but I think it would be a step back for the team.
They’ll need to start a winning streak. If they can get to .500 by the All Star break and be within three games back, a Stroman trade will look like a White Flag.
If they’re still eight games under .500, a trade is justified.
let him walk and use money elsewhere. He is at age 33 not a 40 year old Verlander or Max. past performance..just a lucky year. Not worth the risk!
Of course Cub fans remember Aroldis Chapman and the Yankees?
Unload him for 3 organizational top 5-15 prospects then resign him in the offseason when he opts out.
This same thing happened when he was in Toronto. Repeatedly telling the media how much he loves Canada and how he wants to sign long term. It never happened and he ripped the organization big time. If the Cubs3don’t sign him, he’ll rip them for sure. He also did it to the Mets. He takes everything as a personal slight. It’s how he motivates himself but it shrinks his market because he come off as toxic. I think he needs to stop asking for a deal do much. He’s already let it be known now just go out and pitch.
Correct. The guy is having great year but he is a known malcontent.
The Cubs should trade Stro at the deadline. Cash in on his career year and get some pieces. If they are signing him, do not go more than 3 or 4 years tops. He’ll sign it. I don’t think his market will be as large as he wants it to be.
Further proof that once a player gets a taste of playing on the Northside, they don’t want to leave.
I think Stroman’s eventual breakdown will be swift. He’s small in stature and that is unlikely to age well. I think he ends up like Lincecum and Pedro in their mid 30’s, just not big enough to endure the abuse for too long. Could be wrong, but that would give me pause.
Stroman would likely be a top 6 pitcher in free agency next winter behind Ohtani/Urias/Nola/Giolito/Snell assuming none of those guys sign extensions beforehand. While the free agent market is loaded with starting pitching there are a few retirement candidates (Zack Grienke, Charlie Morton, Corey Kluber, Rich Hill) several with injuries already derailing/finishing this season (Johnny Cueto, German Marquez, Jake Odorizzi, Tyler Mahle, Frankie Montas, Hyun-Jin Ryu) one who will likely only sign with one team (Kershaw) a few who would be foolish to opt-out of their deals (Max Scherzer, Sean Manaea, Ross Stripling, Eduardo Rodriguez) some who have just plain been bad (Noah Syndergaard, Lance Lynn) and the rest (Carrasco, Cobb, Flaherty, Hendricks, Sonny Gray, Maeda, Heaney, Miley, Wacha, Wood, Clevinger, Severino, Montgomery)
Definitely an interesting market
Great summary of the market, thanks.
Hoyer knows that as soon as he gets his bag, he’ll either get hurt or lose his motivation, and his performance will plunge.
Unfortunately, the Cubs are still in rebuild mode, and Hoyer is NOT a real player in MLB, yet. That said, I would trade STro because he is ‘ballin’ right now and worth a good return. He is also 30+, emotional and always a ‘little’ angry. He’s still made at the Mets, too. LOL. Nonetheless, he could help a REAL contender down the line. I see no real future with the Cubs at THIS point. Why? 2-3 years for what – a divisional win….maybe? Nope! Notice that Stro does not say that he wants to stay to WIN, but because HE likes playing here. All about him, not a Ring. He has ht eBIG fish i a small POND complex. LOL