Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman is eligible to opt out of his three-year contract at the conclusion of the season, and while he says he’s willing to travel down that road, there’s another arrangement that he’d potentially prefer.
In an interview with Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, Stroman says that he would prefer to ink a new contract with the Cubs rather than testing the market.
“I would love to stay here and sign an extension and not even get to free agency,” Stroman said.
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Stroman has a 4-4 record with a 2.95 ERA in 11 starts so far this season. In his time with the Cubs, he’s 10-11 but has a 3.33 ERA, with 173 strikeouts and 59 walks to his credit.
He inked a three-year deal worth $71 million with the Cubs prior to the 2022 season, and has an opt-out available at the end of this season.
While in-season contract extensions aren’t generally common, the Cubs have reversed their recent trends and actually signed new three-year deals with outfielder Ian Happ and infielder Nico Hoerner this season.
According to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, Stroman and the Cubs opened extension talks earlier this season, but there’s no indication as to whether the two sides will come to a new deal.
Cubs Free Agency
Rosenthal did report in his piece that the Cubs are “happy” with Stroman and are open to a long-term deal, but the pitcher did say that he’s confident no matter what ultimately happens.
“I’m very confident in myself in free agency as well. I’m real big on just letting it play out. I’m cool either way,” he said.
The Cubs do have Jameson Taillon under contract for three more seasons, but there could be some open spots in the rotation in coming years, meaning that retaining Stroman could provide some stability for the club.
The one bit of good news on that front for the Cubs is that Justin Steele is not eligible for free agency until after the 2027 season, meaning the team has a lengthy window where they could have some cost-control in their top rotation spots should they opt to bring Stroman back into the fold.