Marcus Stroman is expected to stay with the Chicago Cubs in 2024
After Marcus Stroman, a starting pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, was considered for the National League Cy Young Award during the first half of the 2023 Major League Baseball season, it seemed inevitable that Stroman would choose to opt out of his current contract and become a free agent this winter.
Stroman’s salary for the upcoming season under his current deal with the Cubs is set at $21MM, but given how well he performed in the first half of the season, he was expected to command a higher price on the open market. With only 22 innings pitched since the All-Star break due to a fractured rib, Stroman has had a terrible second half of the season. During that time, his ERA has increased to 8.59.
With the injury and the poor play in the second half, it appeared inevitable that Stroman would reconsider opting out of his current contract with the Cubs. The current expectation is that Stroman will stay with the organization through the remainder of his current deal.
Bob Nightengale of the USA Today provided that confirmation on Sunday. “Chicago Cubs starter Marcus Stroman, who was planning to opt out of the final year of his contract that will pay him $21 million next season, now is expecting to stay in Chicago without an extension. ”
Marcus Stroman "Highly Likely" to Opt In and Stay with the Cubs for 2024?https://t.co/rI2lbrY53A pic.twitter.com/BSxuqYbLvy
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) September 25, 2023
This past weekend, Marcus Stroman made his way back into the Cubs’ starting lineup, and in three innings of work against the Colorado Rockies, he gave up three runs.
The $21MM cost of Stroman coming to the Cubs next season won’t stop the organization from making other moves this offseason. The Cubs aren’t unwilling to offer a chance to their developing prospects, despite what some people may think. It is not the ideal strategy to start a season relying on a pitching prospect to find success right away, as the Cubs discovered at the start of this season with Hayden Wesneski.
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