The Cubs are currently “not inclined” to extend right-hander Marcus Stroman prior to August 1’s trade deadline, according to Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. The report comes weeks after Stroman stressed his desire to sign a new deal in Chicago but indicated that the club had previously declined to begin extension talks, sparking trade speculation regarding the 32-year-old right-hander.
Per Rosenthal and Mooney, Chicago’s hesitance in inking Stroman to a long-term deal ahead of the deadline comes from uncertainty regarding the club’s path forward. The pair indicate that the club’s baseball operations budget in 2024 will be impacted by the club’s finish to the 2023 campaign, and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has expressed a willingness to hold out on making a decision between buying and selling until the last minute.
If the club’s front office plans to hold off on deciding between buying and selling, it’s of little surprise that they would not be interested in extending Stroman. The righty is having a career season in 2023 with a sterling 2.47 ERA that’s 78% better than league average by measure of ERA+ across 102 innings of work. He’s backed that up with a solid 20.8% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate, and a phenomenal 59.3% groundball rate that would be his best since 2018 over a full season.
There are signs that regression may be in Stroman’s future. Most notably, just 8.3% of the veteran’s fly balls have left the yard for home runs this season, a mark considerably below his career 13.1% figure. Even in spite of that potential red flag, however, Stroman still figures to be one of the hottest commodities on the free agent market should he opt out of the final one year and $21MM left on his contract at the end of the season. MLBTR rated Stroman as the ninth best pending free agent in the most recent update to our 2023-24 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings, and the Cubs surely expect Stroman to be similarly coveted by rival clubs at the trade deadline if they decide to sell.
Of course, the Cubs deciding to sell is no guarantee at this point. The club is 4.5 games out of first place in a weak NL Central as things standing, locked in a virtual tie with a Pirates team they just swept twice last month behind the Brewers and Reds. Additionally, their +32 run differential is the fifth best figure in the NL and the only positive mark of any team in the NL Central. With a four game set against Milwaukee set to start on Monday, Chicago’s standing in the division could look very different by the time the All Star break rolls around, one way or another.
For Stroman’s part, the veteran right-hander seems largely unfazed by the swirling rumors. Asked on Friday if there had been movement in contract negotiations, Stroman confirmed on Friday that there was “nothing new” before praising the organization to reporters (including Mooney): “I have a great relationship with Jed and Carter. It’s been awesome here. I just don’t think they’re in a position right now for me to extend my (time here). Which, I don’t even care. I feel good here. I would love for them to be in play in the offseason. I would love to have an opportunity to sign back here in free agency after the year is done.”
Such praise certainly seems to leave the door open for Stroman to re-up with the club in free agency, or even sooner. As Rosenthal and Mooney note, there’s nothing stopping them from pivoting toward extension talks after the trade deadline in the run-up to free agency. Such a strategy would be risky, of course, as few players extend once they’re that close to hitting the open market and the Cubs don’t have the ability to extend Stroman a Qualifying Offer after the season after he accepted a QO from the Mets prior to the 2021 campaign.
On the other hand, the upcoming free agent class figures to be unusually deep in pitching. Even setting aside two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, interesting names such as Julio Urias, Aaron Nola, Lucas Giolito, Jordan Montgomery, and Sonny Gray all figure to hit the open market this winter, leaving the Cubs with plenty of options to replace Stroman at the top of their rotation alongside Justin Steele should he exit the organization by way of trade or free agency.
I wouldn’t extend him or sign him in free agency. Same with Giolito. I don’t think they will be worth what they are asking going forward. I feel it in my loins. And I always trust my loins.
That’s the clap.
You don’t have to give me a round of applause, but I appreciate it.
Stroman is a far better and more consistent pitcher compared to Giolito. If he’s asking for a reasonable length on the extension he’s definitely worth a significant return for a trade and sign.
The question is, what is reasonable in their minds? I dont think it’s the same as what I’d deem reasonable.
At 32 with his track record I’d say anything from 3-4 years would be reasonable. Might not be a great idea for the Cubs where the money would be better spent extending their younger talent, but a win now club can never have enough quality starting pitching.
I think Hoyer thought they’d be a win now team, but they’re not. They are short an ace (Stroman is realistically a #2-3 on a real contender), a third baseman with power and a couple more reliable BP arms. Mervis, Armstrong and Amaya may be the long term answers, but not yet. If Stroman is asking for Ace money, I see why they’re not gonna do it now.
Rondon, I don’t think Hoyer thought they were making run in ’23. I think he was looking at 24-25 as the window opening. That’s why he didn’t go after a #1, 3rd baseman last offseason. I believe he wanted to see how prospects developed this year, like Mervis, Wesneski,Killian Brown, Davis, et al… This year was about letting prospects float up and evaluating which guys could help them and what they needed to buy after the ’23 season. Unfortunately, most of their arms and Mervis and Davis haven’t taken a step forward…. Now he’s a a position of pushing back the competitive window a year because prospects haven’t developed.
If this was actually the plan, I am ok with it. Teams trying to go in too early rarely see it work out. It sucks that they didn’t get more development, but it is what it is and you really do need that to happen in order to field a successful MLB team for more than a year or 2 at a time.
I love the Cubs, but please keep Stroman as far away from the Yankees as possible please. He doesn’t want to play here anyway. I was thinking of a trade of Everson Pereira and Randy Vasquez or Will Warren for Cody Bellinger. It seems fair for both sides. Go Cubies!!!
Stroman would instantly become the number 2 starter for the Yankees. They need him bad Captain.
I wouldn’t give any free agents ever what they’re asking but I specifically wouldn’t give a player like Stroman who’s about as outspoken a personality in mlb. Too much risk in the guy being a distraction. So far he’s pitched well for a majority of his career, I’d hate to be in the clubhouse when he’s struggling.
One of the greatest baseball minds said,
“I can feel it in my plums.”
When the Cubs signed Stroman they were hoping to flip him at the trade deadline. Stroman having a great season and getting them a better prospect is the best case scenario for them. He was never getting an extension.
Not even remotely accurate
Correct….. hoping Stroman would pitch well, benefit the club now, and also valuable as trade deadline material. Not someone most clubs build upon, just not that kind of guy. Traded at the deadline for younger talent. Let another team sign him for too long a contract and too many years. If not signed, he goes to free agency via opt out.
Stroman will be opting out at the end of this season. Flipping him at the deadline only gets the Cubs some scrubs in return. Its 2 months and a max of 10 games he would impact. If the plan was to flip him now, Hoyer is not as smart as I thought he was.
There’s no way that you come from my loins jr … Smokey n the. Bandit
My hat blew off Daddy.
I really want to be a cub as long as they give me free agency money for my extension. Trade em and get the those prospects.
There’s nothing wrong with that. He should be saying that, and the Cubs should trade him. It’s a business for both sides.
He really needs to go to the Astros just for alliteration purposes.
DreamGM – always appreciate your commentary, you need to provide it more often. Stroman will treat his contract as a business decision and opt out . The Cubs need to treat the relationship the same and trade him at the deadline for whatever prospect return they can get. The Cubs do not need to extend Stroman before the market price is set this offseason. The pitcher free agent market is flush. If Stroman wants to return to Chicago, he will have that chance in free agency, which he willing entered.
Oh, that’s not going to go over well.
Stroman made a big mistake. He keeps saying he wants to stay with the cubs. That just cost him several million dollars.
Happ said the same thing. If Stroman doesn’t like the offer, he will pass.
Every FA says they want to stay with their current team. Saying they dont makes them look like a clubhouse cancer, lowering the offers.
“The pair indicate that the club’s baseball operations budget in 2024 will be impacted by the club’s finish to the 2023 campaign”
What the hell is that about? “We did a poor job in the ’23 offseason, so that justifies spending less in ’24.” Really?
Means we need to take our cut of $ no matter what. So if we sell less tickets after giving up on contending this season we won’t spend as much. It’s fans fault! If you want us to spend more come out and watch whatever product we put on the field. So less attendance and no playoff $ means less spending on 2024 team.
That’s the problem with capitalism. The rich guys will make it so that they get their cut regardless. Good for the rich guys, bad for the rest of us.
Please get a refund on your dollar store econ degree.
Yeah, struggling to feel sorry for a guy that has made $100M and opting out of a contract that would pay him him $21M for 1 year… My tear duct is dry…
Payroll is a percentage of revenue. That’s just Business 101. Yes, less attendance and no playoff $ means there is less money, period. Do you take a pay cut if your employer doesn’t make projected earnings? Didn’t think so. Neither do they.
Someone tell Tommy Boy that the balance sheet actually looks good and the only biblical losses are the ones his team is suffering on the field.
Let me guess, you’re in the Cubs’ accounting department?
Regardless of what is parsed from Jed and Carter’s rhetoric, I would put ZERO credibility in the notion that they won’t spend this coming off season. Especially if they were to deal Stroman this month. More than $40 mil already coming off the books for next year (not including Stroman). Meanwhile they have seen what attendance fall off can look like the last two seasons, and just launched their Marquee direct streaming.
But it’s gonna be so painful for them to write those checks.
If they do poorly, they’ll generate less revenue…it’s not really that difficult to understand.
probably because he’s such a bad attitude and arrogant POS… I wouldn’t want this moron in my clubhouse either…
Can tell you have about a many friends as your namesake. Zero.
Is he wrong though? Do you want to be the team left holding the bag when he blows up either on the mound, or social media?
The guy is a hothead and there’s obviously history.
But you know, name calling and insults are another option.
Yes. As far as all the media reports out of the Chicago area newspapers and national media like SI have been saying for 2+ seasons now, he was wrong.
Stroman has been described over the last year as “a stabilizing veteran presence” by the Sun Times, “a positive presence in Cubs clubhouse” by the Tribune, and “a stable veteran presence” by SI.
Stroman has also been one of the most effective starters in MLB the last 3 seasons, ranking 1oth in ERA, 20th in FIP, and 12th in ERA+ among pitchers with 60 or more starts from 2019 to 2023. 60 out of a possible .82 starts over that time period. He is great at keeping the ball in the yard and gets hitters to put balls on the ground at a high rate so a team with good infield defense would be a great home for him.
Good guy to have in your clubhouse from those reports and a very good starting pitcher from the stats.
You are correct in that few teams would want to be holding the bag on Stroman when he implodes… it is inevitable. Always been a borderline headcase. I have no opinion as to the name calling… grew-up with the sticks and stones philosophy….
He’s absolutely wrong. Stroman has been “an ideal veteran presence in the clubhouse” according to his manager. Hoyer has had similar things to say. All the press in the Chicago area and everything I have read in national sports press said the same thing.
So instead of acting like his namesake, he should do his homework.
JMaggio
You do poor research, everyone in Chicago thinks he is great in the clubhouse and a team guy. Guys in their 20s continue to mature and Stroman has done that. The Cubs like Stroman but he is 32 and they are reluctant to give him Ace money for 4-5 years. If he will take a total of four years (including 2024 as one of those four years) and 100 million the Cubs should get it done.
Wow, someone with DiMaggio in his user name is complaining about a player being an arrogant POS? Maybe you should read that biography by Richard Ben Cramer.
The cubs are so cheap. I tell people this all the time. Especially on Limited-Twitter that they need to sell. Joe Ricketts will never sell the team. His silver spoon kids unfortunately will inherit the team when he passes way. It’s a real shame that mlb allows him to be the owner when he has nothing to do with the team. I honestly don’t think he’s been to Wrigley Field since he bought the team. Possibly in 2017 with the ring ceremony. That’s the last time if he was there.
Not a fan of the Ricketts’ family but their desire is not only in the Cubs team, they’ve bought up and redeveloped multiple areas around the park. It’s a huge investment for them that is paying high dividends. Team is estimated worth 4b and I think they paid less than 1b in 09. It’s owned in a trust shared with the family.
Yeah. Joe Ricketts paid 900mil. 200mil less than what Mark Cuban paid. All 29 other teams and the commissioners office have to unanimously approve the sale. And I read a few articles that said there was no way they would’ve approved Mark Cuban buying the team. All because of his rep in the nba.
Yeah they quadrupled the value of the team in leas than a decade.
Isn’t the owner Tom Ricketts?
No Joe Ricketts, his father is but like I said Joe has literally nothing to do with the team. He provides the money and that’s it. He just wanted the title of “Chicago Cubs Owner”
Joe Ricketts has as much to do with the Cubs as I do.
Exactly. He’s the owner. That has his silver spoon kids run the team. Tom, Todd, Steve and Karen. He’s literally the only sports owner ever to buy a team and then has nothing to do with any of the decisions.
How much money DID you lose on E-Trade? Everything? Sorry. You’ve been sounding that Joe Ricketts crap for quite awhile. Anybody believe you yet?
You dint need to believe me. Just Google him and look at his Wikipedia page. It’ll say Chicago Cubs Owner.
They wasted any stroman money on Jameson Taillon.
Can you imagine what it was like for a GM prior to Curt Flood and Andy Messerschmidt? I know it was decades ago but you didn’t have all these extraneous factors to manage.
Before Messerschmitt players had to take whatever salary owners gave them with no possibility to negotiate a higher amount. They were also tied to their team for their careers with no chance of changing teams. In the 1960’s Curt Flood fought for both of those to change. It didn’t happen and speaking up ruined his career. It stayed that way until Messerschmitt and the president of the mlbpa (whose name unfortunately escapes me for the moment) challenged it and won. It led to free agency and players allowed to negotiate their salaries with all clubs.
Bouton’s 1st book, Ball 4 goes into a little detail on the player vs owner fight and Marvin miller believe is one who ran the mlbpa from begining and for around 30y total.
Funny thing how player attitude towards owners got so bad to begin with, Bouton’s book tells some of that also with they started out only wanting things.. Such as broken benches repaired that teams would dawdle on. You know.. Things should have never gotten so bad and some team owners being so outright cheap with players, who knew even then there were teams which existed and did not pay well, Bouton quoted his former NYY as 1 and gave details in 1 salary dispute he had with them.
Owner’s brought the union issue about themselves, but didn’t take all that long for shoe to be on other foot with regards to who was the party with issues.
Marvin Miller was the MLBPA president
Extremely interesting guy….. read up on him. Amazing talent, smart guy, tough.
Is Marvin Miller the name that escaped you?
Marvin Miller used to kick the owners’ butts at every negotiation. Truly one of the most important men in the history of the game. His first major win was getting Topps to give the players a much better deal from having their likeness used on baseball cards. And from there it was nowhere but up for the players.
Will trade you Jimenez, Cease and Berger for 5 prospects our choice. Win-Win.
Cease isn’t what he was, last year. Jimenez is just a DH, and Berger has NO value.
Burger is king…
Berger would be leading Cubs in homers and tied for second inRBI s with happ.
Actually the Cubs already have Jake Burger…his name is Patrick Wisdom. Burger is slashing .220/.273/.520 with a 34% K rate . Worse is that Burger’s slash is 171/.231/.378 unplayable on the road. Why would they give up anything for a player they already have? And Wisdom can play more positions defensively. And no one wants Burger’s creepy mustache.
.220/.273/.520/.793 and a 113 OPS+ with a 0.8 WAR
.196/.285/.467/.752 and a 100 OPS+ with a -0.1 WAR
Which one am I supposed to want on my team?
I will go with the younger one.
You missed the point, I don’t want either and I’m certainly not giving anything up for a similar player, especially one with splits that are horrific and unplayable for 82 games. Why would anyone want Jake Burger.
Wrong-Wrong Jack.
The 5 prospects will be Rowan Wick, Edwin Rios, David Bote, Nelson Maldonado and Levi Jordan.
The Breadman does not deliver?
If Jed wanted to extend Stroman at Stroman’s price, it would already be done. Jed doesn’t want to extend Stroman at that price. Simple as.
Hoyer has said they have not exchanged numbers or participated in any kind of extension talks, so you are obviously wrong.
This article says the Cubs are going to go as cheap as possible if the don’t turn it around in the next 24 games. Which is typical for the team since 2017.
And because Mooney and Rosenthal wrote it, it must be Gospel??
He said it where you can LISTEN to it. It was a press conference.
Really, where does it say that?
BaseballisLife – according to multiple sources and the link below, Hoyer did have conversations with Stroman/agent.
mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/cubs-marcus-stroman-had….
And I highly doubt Hoyer doesn’t have Stroman’s number or his agents number… I mean they signed the first contract. Did Stroman and his agent change the cell numbers since?
The article does not say the Cubs are going to go cheap. Even if that were the case, I really don’t think Nick Deeds has a seat at the table when determining what the Cubs are going to spend.
The Cubs exceeded the luxury tax 3 years 2016, ’19,’20 and were at the top of MLB payroll in the years they did not go over the luxury threshold.
The rabble,rabble, rabble, the Cubs are cheap narrative doesn’t play
BIL is right. They have never exchanged numbers and Hoyer said so in the presser that this article refers to.
Right… Jed Hoyer doesn’t have the phone number for Marcus Stroman’s agent.
Numbers = dollars. Either Hoyer was lying, or you are ill-informed.
Or…or you’re gullible.
How did they negotiate the contract 2 years ago… Carrier pigeon?
They used AOL instant messenger.
So who will Stroman be playing for next season. He will be cheaper than Nola and Snell so my money is on the Padres.
Saw on twitter that he said no matter what happens he would like to return to the cubs in the off season.
He’s not expensive enough for the Padres.
Stroman is in the midsts of his best season since 2017 and possibly a career year when all is done. There is no way the Cubs don’t sell high at the trade deadline unless he either has a horrendous July or the team goes on an absolute tear this month
I believe you are correct. If it is clear by the deadline that the team isn’t likely heading to the playoffs – I don’t blame them at all to sell high on Stroman. It could be a nice way to fill their 3B spot, going forward. Then hopefully they could sign another SP in the off season. Just so they don’t end up with another Taillon.
Since Stroman will opt out after the season no matter who he plays for the last 2 months of the season, the Cubs are getting little for him in trade.
So the Cubs are in rebuild mode again?
Trading a rental player does not make it a rebuild. If they don’t trade him, he’s gone anyway. Just gives them money to spend.
Stymeed, you’re talking to a wall.
I don’t understand how an 8.3% rate of fly balls going for HRs is worse than 13.1%.
I think the story is suggesting that he has been a bit lucky with fly balls staying in the yard and will likely regress toward his historic higher number.
Regression is a concept that the old-school fanboys on here have a really hard time grasping.
Why wouldn’t the Cubs sign him? Lot of young pitching he’s the veteran the money should be available.
I don’t really get what the Cubs have been doing the last couple years. Either get in or get out this halfway thing doesn’t work very well.
Why pay for someone career year peak value. Unless he is willing to sign for less than he is worth. I doubt that is the case. So get prospects and sign him as free agent if you want him back.
Career year?
Look at FIP not ERA. This is who Stroman is. He’s good.
Is 2023 not his lowest fip since his rookie year? Well….. We’re waiting!
His FIP is 3.37
His career FIP is 3.61
That’s less than a quarter of a run
Again this is who he is. He’s a good pitcher.
Well tell mlbtr. They wrote career season. They must like era.
He’s not. He’s having a career first half and will regress. And since he’s not getting his way now, he’ll regress to his normal self as well. Dude is a hot-head that doesn’t know when to keep his mouth closed.
He has a 3.05 ERA since the start of the 2021 season. He is just good.
He doesn’t want to play for what he is worth. He wants to be paid for his peak season. If he wanted to be paid what he was worth, he’d have signed.
Top 7 payrolls are Mets, Yankees, Padres, Phils, Dodgers, Angels, Blue Jays. At the halfway point of 2023, they are all being beat by halfway teams. I’m not sure this year is a glowing endorsement for the all in approach.
They won’t sign him bc the core of this team isn’t good enough to compete. So u have to trade him off to improve core. Cubs ownership understands this. They’ll spend, but like most clubs they aren’t going to spend 100 million dollars for an additional 3 wins per season.
Because the Cubs are committed to making a profit, not to winning.
Baseball is a business. The idea of a business is to make money…The Cubs could have had a payroll of $125m. The Cubs are roughly $5M from the $233M luxury tax. Marcus Stroman has a contract that will pay him $21M for 1 year of work if he doesn’t opt out. Tell me why I should feel sorry for Stroman?
A single home playoff game pays a team more than a month of games during the regular season. A deep playoff run with 5+ home games can pay a team more than they earn on attendance all season. It behooves them to win if making the most revenue is their goal.
Could you provide your math on that? The average ticket price at Wrigley is $80. They average 34k in attendance which is $35M for 13 home games per month. Even if the average ticket price for a playoff game was $300, ticket sales would be $12M. 34k people spending $100 per game for 13 games is $44M. 41k spending $100 for 1 playoff game is $4M. 13 home games just tickets and concessions is ~ $80M v 1 playoff game of $16M.
Can you fill me in on the $64M gap?
Tickets to Cubs games average $60.21 this season. They are averaging 33,383 per game this season. They play an average 13 home games per month.
A single playoff home game was worth $18 million at the gate and an additional $7 million in park related revenue last season. That does not include sponsorship money, since we are not given those figures, but you can be sure that number was not zero. The average playoff game ticket was $482 last season. It’s not just ticket sales either. It’s getting paid for the TV appearance too. Last season that was $15 million per home game.
First if all, the 7k seats they aren’t selling are the 300-400 section seats that are $37-$50. The lower sections are sold out every game. Even taking your numbers, ticket and concession for 13 home game is $70M v $18M.
Define “park related revenue” that isn’t realized every game at Wrigley? Where is that number coming from?
Sponsorship numbers you’re not given… So that’s not a number.
Advertising for 13 games throughout the park and tv for 13 games exceeded 1 playoff game…
Just because you say it doesn’t mean it’s actually true….
Provide links for the breakdown on your revenue. If it matches your statement then I’ll certainly accept what you’re saying. But it really seems like your just throwing out numbers at this point.
According to Forbes, the average spend per fan at Wrigley was $364. So I actually underestimated the revenue.
google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jaredwyllys/…
So 33,383 spent $12M per game and $158M over 13 games. So how do you close the gap of $158M v $18M for 1 game?
It should also be noted that the players receive 50% of the gate receipts for wild card games and I believe 60% of the receipts for all other games…
That was for a family of 4. Average ticket price was $60. Ticket prices dropped for 2023 as well.
Players get paid exactly squat for playoff games. There is a small pool that teams get for playing in CS and WS. Last season the winning WS team got $9 million to split between all players.
Maybe it’s time for you to go get some actual education.
Single game tickets run from $14 to $115 for most games. Premium games are $49 to $229.
For season tickets they are up to 40% less.
Happy to sell you our tickets to games vs the Brewers in August for $364 each if you insist that is the cost.
Here’s some education… Whooops
mlb.com/glossary/miscellaneous/postseason-share
BaseballisLife… Couple things
“Happy to sell you our tickets to games vs the Brewers in August for $364 each.”
Reading is a skill. The article said $364 was average spend, not cost of tickets.
I have my own tickets, but thanks. If I go through the Cubs MLB site, tickets in my section are $135 for Washington.
Cubs had $500 million in revenue. They can afford to surpass the CBT threshold by a large margin. That they don’t is ample evidence of a lack of commitment to winning.
No one said you should feel sorry for Stroman. That you are trying to spin it to that is pathetic.
You don’t have tickets or you would know that Cubs tickets don’t cost anywhere near what you are claiming.
He posted the actual cost for single game tickets on the Cubs website.
Here is the cost for a family of 4 to attend a game last season.
1440wrok.com/cubs-white-sox-family-of-four/#:~:tex….
Cubs were at $312 for a family of four and that included tickets, drinks, hot dogs and parking. BTW, most people take CTA to games, not a car.
Keep on lying. You are digging your mute quickly.
I’m digging my mute quickly… Bwahaha… you overvalue my interest in your commentary.
Comprehension problem, I said spend… Don’t forget the tax and ticket fees.
I Uber.
As you overestimate your intelligence. That is typical of people like you.
No matter what the taxes are, it doesn’t come CLOSE to the $364 PER FAN you were claiming. That is a family of 4.
BTW, at $312.85 it includes taxes.
As usual, you are entirely wrong.
Paying a high UBER cost, its typically over $40 to Wrigley, when you can step on the CTA for 20% of that cost and be dropped off within a block or so of the ballpark is not exactly showing you are a smarter person than the guy that takes his own car and pays an average of $28.
Signing a starting pitcher his age to big bucks assuming he will maintain his peak performance, won’t help them make a profit, or prove their commitment to winning. It will give Cubs fans a contract to complain about for its duration. Still wishing they had signed Bryant, Rizzo and Baez to those big dollar contracts? Colorado and Detroit will happily assign those contracts to the Cubs. Yanks will likely keep Rizzo cuz they signed him much cheaper than Cubs offered.
Resigning the best pitcher on the staff goes a long way to showing you are committed to winning. Letting him walk without making him an extension offer doesn’t.
He isn’t the best pitcher on the staff… it’s a career half year. There are better pitchers in free agency than Stroman.
Finally, you trade him. You don’t extend him. Pretty simple.
“Resigning the best pitcher on the staff goes a long way to showing you are committed to winning.”
Whoa, talk about timing. Stroman’s ERA over his last 3 starts is 7.71. Keep trending that line and the Cubs are praying he opts out.
Stroman has a 3.18 ERA as a Cub. Its not a career half year. Since 2019 he has a 3.14 ERA. Top 10 of guys with at least 500 IP. He is just really good.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&…
If the Cubs trade Stroman, they get practically nothing because he is a rental who cannot be given a QO and they would have to spend much, much more for anyone in FA that is better.
There are not many in FA that have been better post-Covid. I bet you can’t name one and back it up with stats. I will give you a link. Let’s see if you can figure it out.
fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=sta&…
Hoyer said that unless the team turns it around in the next couple weeks that they are going to sell at the deadline. That means they are not going to spend on FA pitching at the top of the market in the offseason. No Ohtani. No Urias.
The team gets worse if they trade him and they won’t replace him with better.
Are you capable of saying anything that is factual or well thought out?
So, you are trying to say performance is measured in 3 game stretches?
“That means they are not going to spend on FA pitching at the top of the market in the offseason.”
No, it doesn’t.
“So, you are trying to say performance is measured in 3 game stretches?”
Baseballislife, you are on an island with this… It’s regression. On a career best 1st half.
OMG. You really are dense.
If the Cubs won’t spend on the guy with the 3rd best ERA among possible FA, they are not spending substantially, read 2-5 times, more on the 2 guys that have been better.
You would think that would be a commonsense statement, but you simply have no sense so it’s going right over your head.
I noticed you were incapable of figuring out the starters who were better than Stroman.
Now you think I am someone else. What a pathetic POS you are. Mute it is.
Web, the answer is obviously no. He isn’t capable.
Web, just noticed he muted me because of your answers to him. He’s a few fries short of a happy meal.
Neil Diamond on Cubs: I’ve been inclined to believe they never will.
The Stro-show has proven to be a couple things, one of those things is that he’s been a great teammate. The other thing is he is great with fans and the majority of the fans in Chicago love him.
I don’t follow athletes on Twitter but I did go down the rabbit hole with Stroman because so many Mets fans LOVE to imply Stro is a bad teammate. The guy showers his teammates with praise on Twitter. I mean showers them. He may re-tweet a positive article or tweet about himself but he writes tweets and equally re-tweets about his teammates.
As for the fans, Stroman is one of the first people on the field for warmups, chatting with fans. He makes an honest effort to engage young fans and to show more passion and personality to relate with them.
On a lesser note, he bought all his teammates Nintendo switches for their trip to London
And drasco—-I watch every game….Stro is ALWAYS the first out of the dugout or at the top of the steps to greet a teammate after a big play or a homer. He is engaged in every game whether pitching or not.
Anyone who questions him as a teammate is, this year, or any of his time with the Cubs is just making stuff up.
He was the same with the Mets. His twitter persona ticked off the ones that are looking to be ticked off.
I’ve said for awhile Cubs gonna try real hard for Ohtani or that other Japanese pitcher. I’m gonna guess they beg Stroman to stay for his final year (with a wink that if they win it all they’ll re-up him). If Stroman heads to free agency maybe keep Hendriks for final year. But I could see Stroman walking and Cubs putting money to Ohtani going with starting 5 next year of-
Ohtani, Steele, Taillon, Hendriks and Smyly with Wesneski as depth.
Ohtani has been clear about two things: 1 – he wants to be on a winning club. 2 – he wants to be on the west coast. I don’t think the Cubs are close enough to winning yet and , well, you know the other… But if the Cubs pony up, maybe he can be swayed. I don’t think they will match what the Dodger, Padres, Giants, Angels, Yankees, and Mets will throw at him though.
Unless the Angels do some drastic pitcher acquisition soon, I don’t think he’s staying there either after this season.
Ohtani will go to the highest bidder. West Coast is irrelevant.
But it’s not irrelevant based on his own words. He wants to win and want the west coast per him. For example if Oakland was the highest bidder he probably says no because they are not poised to win.
“…interesting names such as Julio Urias, Aaron Nola, Lucas Giolito, Jordan Montgomery, and Sonny Gray all figure to hit the open market this winter….”.
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All those pitchers are going to get at least 4 years at high AAV’s in free agency.
Due to injuries and other unforeseen reasons, the chances that more than 2 of them have 2 very good years are slim.
Teams such as Houston, the Dodgers, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta grow their own pitchers and put out staffs at reasonable salaries. SD and the Yankees – who stole their pitching coaches from Cleveland – do very well taking veterans and youngsters that have stalled and making them into productive pitchers.
The teams that pay retail for those 5 pitchers are going to be seen as big winners in the 2023-24 offseason…..but will be committing a high percentage of their payrolls the next 4-6 years to them; which will limit how successful those teams will be.
But it’s fun to talk about who signs who.
All of those pitchers you named are good pitchers. Some will work out some won’t that’s the nature of free agency. Doesn’t mean you ignore top free agents.
You don’t ignore them and you don’t rely on them. Having a good pitching system works best, in the long run.
They can always sell Stroman for prospects they want. Trade away prospects they don’t want for a replacement. Or just keep him if the return isn’t blowing them away. They may be so far out it’s sell everyone. Interesting to see how it plays out.
Stroman wants 5 years. Cubs don’t want to go there. It’s as simple as that. He’s going to opt out no matter what happens the rest of the year. He’s really not part of the future for the Cubs, At least not for the next 5 years. Hendricks is the past, Not the future either. If Baltimore said hey we’ll give you a compensatory draft pick for him I’d jump on it. I’d ask for a lot more for Stroman right now. Winning the NL Central would be a meaningless accomplishment because then what? You get a home playoff game or 2 on your way home? This team isn’t the Phillies from last year. That ain’t happening. The innings for the rest of the year should be looking at guys who WILL be the future. The Dave Wannstedt philosophy of playing the veterans as you go down in smoke is a bad strategy. Play the kids, it worked out fine last year. Why assume because you play kids you’ll lose? You might be surprised.
Unclemike1526;
The Cubs have a nice group of position players. Some weaknesses, but those can be addressed any number of ways. They need an impact bat as an anchor, perhaps Morel will grow into it.
Their pitching has improved, but lots of their pitchers are going to have to grow for that team to be a legit WS contender.
Just about every team has quality youngsters that projected into the future make it seem bright. Over the last 5 years the Cubs have had players like that. That’s where strong organizations come in. Their coaches working with the analytic and video people make the players better. At this point I’m not sold on the Cubs organization under Hoyer; and while David Ross seems to be a nice guy, respected, and baseball knowledgeable, he hasn’t come off as a terribly good manager. This is his 4th year now. He’s coming off as a Scott Servais (Mariners) / Bud Black (Rockies / Padres) – type that’s a loyal organization guy, but is more of a caretaker that knows a lot of baseball, but doesn’t really spur the troops on….sort of like a C+ / B- student.
Samuel- Ross is confusing me as to what he’s doing sometimes. The whole bunting fiasco the other day is an example. After Madrigal supposedly forgets how many outs there are and dumb bunts, How does Ross not say to everyone nobody bunts until I say so? Then Morel does the same dumb crap, That’s coaching that should have happened. He finally gave up his bullpen by dartboard approach with much better results. I’m not sure if he’s the guy or not but I’m leaning no right now. But being a Manager today is a lot more about massaging egos and he seems to have a handle on that. I don’t know what they do But Hoyer is pretty loyal to a fault. Plus no POBO likes to admit they made a mistake.
When has he said he wants 5 years? Nothing saying that in Chicago papers. Nothing on The Athletic saying he has asked for that. Both his agent and Jed Hoyer have indicated there has been no discussion of years or dollars at this point. Stroman is quoted here as saying they haven’t discussed it. Just Stroman’s insistence he would like to stay in Cubbie Blue.
He was expected by this site and pretty much everyone else as getting a 5 year deal when he signed with the Cubs for 3 years with an op out early in the 21-22 offseason, so obviously he was not as concerned with a 5 year term then either.
Stroman has been good enough and healthy enough that he might get a 5-6 year deal if he was willing to sign for a smaller AAV. Something like what Darvish signed with the Padres. 6YR/$112MM
From 2019 -2023, Stroman has 75 starts. Darvish 74. Stroman a 3.05 ERA. Darvish a 3.84 ERA. Stroman 3.55 FIP. Darvish 3.64 FIP. Stroman 419 IP. Darvish 440 IP. Stroman 136 ERA+. Darvish 101 ERA+. Stroman going into age 33 season in 2024. Darvish was going into age 36 season.
The Padres overpaid to hang onto Darvish. Stroman performance should earn him that kind of money.
I really think he is going to sign a 3-4 deal with an AAV of $28MM-$30MM. 3/90 with a $30MM option. Something like that.
Out- He’s 32. Of course he’s looking for 5 years, Maybe more. He’s looking for his last contract. That is the nature of baseball and guaranteed money. He’s trying to push Hoyer into a corner because of his performance which has been great. But Jed’s not buying. Good for Jed. That”s just how it works, Especially with Pitchers who know any pitch could be their last. And Stroman signed that deal because he knew there was going to be a lockout and he wanted to be sure he got something, That’s why he signed it.
YOU think he is looking for 5 years. He has obviously not asked for it nor did he expect it before signing with the Cubs. If he was concerned about the length of the deal he would have just waited out the lockout. If the lockout extended into the season he would not have been paid anyway.
Instead he chose WHERE he wanted to play instead of waiting to see if he could get a better deal elsewhere later in the offseason. He has said so publicly. We don’t have to guess at his motives. He has been very open about them and his desire to continue to play in Chicago.
“I would love for them to be in play in the offseason. I would love to have an opportunity to sign back here in free agency after the year is done.”
Stroman is gone. He will not be a Cub in 2024. His 3.05 ERA and 136 ERA+ means that even going into his age 33 season he is going to get a 3-4 year deal of $28-30 million AAV.
So, who do you all think he will play for next season? With all their pitching woes this season, my money is on the Yankees. Gets him paid AND gives him a chance to stick it to the Blue Jays all season. .
Cashman is not a fan of Stroman. He passed on trading for him and then on signing him.
It seems that the Cubs are being ridiculous but on the same token, this guy is a whack job, and what they call in Wrestling a heat magnet. He always has something to say, and often controversial, not sure if that plays into it.
In what way are they being ridiculous? Stroman is the only reason this is even a discussion point.
At least the Cubs finally moved Wicks and Vasquez up to Iowa. Tennessee missed winning the first half by 1 game which is why I assume they were there as long as they were. Canario working his way back is at South Bend and struggling a bit but I’ll be happy if he just plays the rest of the year without getting hurt again and was ready for ST. Drew Gray is back. Heuer is a downer but all in all things are looking up down below. Plus the draft coming up. Stick with the plan, Build from within.
Well after tonight’s showing…
Of course he’s having a career year and wants an extension. Hard pass.
If Stroman acted like real major league player, he’d be getting paid top dollar. It sounds like hes already overstayed his welcome. The way he treated Met fans online once they said they werent going to resign him was absolutly low character. I wouldnt trust this guy with big money. He already got caught with steriods when he was a prospect. As they say, he will “get his bag” and then probably pull a Stratsburg/Corbin. Him flaunting his WWE belt after every start doesn’t help his case either
Very interesting
Extending players during their best stretch of their career is not a good idea usually. They are in a tough spot. Horrible division but they arent very good to begin with. They need to trade him. Of course he wants an extension. Hard to sell to your team when they are 5 back and grinding daily but they obviously are not one of the better teams.
Always beware going after and signing for HUGE $$$$ (take heed Yankees), a player enjoying their statistical best year in their walk year as regression is knocking at the door
Nobody should be extended after coming off a career year. Look at Ryan Dempster. The same goes for trades (Kyle Hendricks for Dempster).
The Cubs are realizing what the Jays and Mets learned about Stroman. He is a talented pitcher and a big game competitor, who has a grating personality that irritates and annoys management and other teams. It is just a matter of time before he says something that will create a social media backlash.
A Stroman-created story. His specialty. He’s under contract next year, so no need to create this distraction during the season. If he wants to leave by tripping his opt out after this season, or use it to negotiate a better deal with the Cubs, then that’s best handled at season’s end.
Stroman has an opt out at the end of the season. That is what all this is all about. legacy.baseballprospectus.com/compensation/cots/na… He will easily surpass the $23 million he is guaranteed in 2024 in free agency.
He will make only $21 in 2024 if he doesn’t opt out.
Zaidi doesn’t need to trade for Stroman. He’s not the right fit for the Giants.
I would put Stroman in a league of very few MLB players completely in love with himself. If I was a GM I would look elsewhere for starting pitching.
That league is larger than you realize. In fact they are already planning to expand…
If Stromouth was a elite as he says he is I’m sure this wouldn’t be a story but here we all are….
If you were a baseball fan you would know that he is top 15 in the game and is going to earn far more than the player option would pay him in 2024. If the Cubs don’t extend him, he is going to opt out and get a 4-year deal for $108-110 million. The only question is if some team is going to go 5 or even 6 years like the Padres did for Darvish. With the market being so light, it’s a very real possibility that someone will step up with a 5-year deal for Stroman.
Don’t extend him, deal him by August 1st to the team offering the best deal…Stroman not consistent enough to warrant a raise on a top of $20M salary
Stroman will opt out at the end of the season and every team knows that. His return in trade will be minimal.
The more he talks the less desirable he gets to re-sign with the Cubbies or to play for a new team. Shut up and go let your performance do the talking
He already has. From 2021 to date he is just outside the top 10 of all starters. That is elite performance. The only thing that keeps Stroman from getting paid and getting paid big is if he gets seriously injured during the season.
Everyone from his GM and manager to his teammates and the press have said he is a great teammate and a great veteran presence in the in the clubhouse. He is EXACTLY the kind of guy other teams want on their squad.
The Giants should send a package that includes Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos for a couple months of Stroman. In my dreams.
What on Earth would the Cubs want with Joey Bart? He’d be almost the 7th C on the Cubs. That is a dream.
Prepping for the Stroman “cubs are racists” tweets because he’s not getting what he wants
It’s becoming a trend for teams to next extend him or attempt to re-sign him. He’s a pain in the backside
Cubs “Not Inclined” To Win in 2024.
There. I fixed your title for you
Stroman is in year two of a three year contract. There’s nothing to discuss until after the season, assuming Stroman is still a Cub and he opts out. I suspect the Cubs will be happy they got two good years and will also be happy to let him walk. If that’s true, they should seriously consider trading him.
I wouldn’t rush to extend him while he’s having a career year, either. Unless he’s willing to take a deal similar to the current one, which is very unlikely, trade him at the deadline and let someone else pay him for age 33+.
Normalize HR on fly balls and Stroman’s 2023 ERA is right around 3.50, his career ERA. Don’t pay for a player’s good luck, in short. He’s a good pitcher to have, but not a great one. He also doesn’t strike guys out, meaning age is likely to descend upon him more quickly than is typical for a starter turning 33.
“On the other hand, the upcoming free agent class figures to be unusually deep in pitching.”
—So smart of Steve Cohen to have locked up 4 of the Mets 5 SP slots for 2024, eh?
This 4 starters have done so well for the Mets this year! They couldn’t possibly regress from age?