CHICAGO — Marcus Stroman knows the drill. He had already traded once as of the reporting date, in 2019 when the Mets acquired him from the Blue Jays. If his current team, the Cubs, don’t finish the season, he could be on the move again.
Stroman doesn’t want that to happen.
“At this point in my career, I’m so open to anything. But it would bother me a bit just because I feel like I really like it here in terms of the city, the top-down organization, the fans,” Stroman told The Athletic on Saturday. “It’s incredible to play at Wrigley. Coming here 30 minutes before a game and getting a standing ovation is hard to beat.
“It would be tough in that regard, very tough. But ultimately, that’s out of my control. I am sure that I would also like to play somewhere else.”
The trading deadline is still two months away. But the Cubs, 8-19 since their 14-10 start, are on a downward spiral. After losing the first two games of their series to the Reds at Wrigley Field, they are bottom in the NL Central, but only 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Brewers.
Stroman, 32, just signed a three-year, $71 million free agent deal with the Cubs 18 months ago. Under the terms of the contract, he can step out of last year and re-enter the free agent market after this season, a course he’ll almost certainly follow if he continues at his current level of performance. On Saturday, Stroman was fourth in the majors with a 60.2 percent groundball percentage and 15th with a 2.95 ERA.
The Cubs’ way of stopping Stroman from leaving is to sign him for a contract extension. According to a source briefed on the club’s deliberations, the team are happy with Stroman and open to a long-term agreement. But mid-season negotiations are difficult and the club don’t need to make a hasty decision. Stroman has only made 11 launches and a lot could change in one way or another over the next two months.
However, the deadline will force the Cubs to take a stand. If they keep Stroman without renewing him, they’ll lose him for nothing if he becomes a free agent. Stroman accepted a qualifying offer from the Mets after the 2020 season, and a player cannot receive a qualifying offer twice, depriving the Cubs of potential draft-pick compensation.
The Cubs could dish out Stroman and then try to re-sign him as a free agent, but the pitcher acknowledged it’s rare for players to return to teams that trade them. He prefers a new contract that would allow him to avoid the open market.
“I don’t know what they think and where they stand in terms of further development, but honestly I’d love to stay here and sign a contract extension and not even get a free hand,” Stroman said. “I am also very confident in the free agency. I make a point of just letting it play. I’m cool either way.”
Should the Cubs sell in time, Stroman wouldn’t be their only attractive swap candidate. Midfielder Cody Bellinger, who is likely to turn down his share of the reciprocal option on their one-year contract, would also interest the contenders. So does left-hander Drew Smyly, who can get out of his contract at the end of the season if he pitches 110 innings. He is currently at 55 1/3.
Stroman will pitch next season at 33, an age when teams often become suspicious of long-term pitcher agreements. But in 36 starts with the Cubs, his ERA is 3.33 and his adjusted ERA is 26 percent above the league average. Last season, he was out from June 10 to July 8 with a right shoulder infection and also missed time after testing positive for COVID-19. He’s been healthy this season and is on track to surpass the 200-innings mark.
The free agent market would present a number of alternatives if the Cubs lost Stroman and/or Smyly, who turns 34 next month. In addition to two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, who is likely to land a record deal, potential free agents include Julio Urías, Aaron Nola, Eduardo Rodríguez and Sonny Gray, as well as Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito. With the exception of Gray, all are younger than Stroman and Smyly.
“I know they probably have a lot of decisions to make about their future and everything else before the close,” Stroman said. “I would like to stay here. I love everything about being a Cub. In the best-case scenario, I’ll stay here and sign an extension.”
(Photo: Jess Rapfogel / Getty Images)