Chicago Cubs Ace Linked to Dodgers at Trade Deadline

The Cubs' Marcus Stroman is having a great season and if he gets moved at the trade deadline three teams could be good fits.

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman is having one of the best seasons of his career. The Cubs know it. Potential trade partners know it, too.

Despite Stroman’s insistence he’d like to stay in Chicago on an extension, the Cubs — who are 34-38 going into Tuesday’s game with the Pittsburgh Pirates — have made no move to extend him beyond the $21 million option he has on his current contract for 2024.

It’s Stroman’s option after the season and the belief is that without an extension he’ll exercise it. And why wouldn’t he? He enters Tuesday’s action tied for the National League leads with eight wins and a league-leading 2.45 ERA. In his last six starts he’s 6-0 with a 1.51 ERA. He’s one of the biggest reasons the Cubs are still in the race in the NL Central.

The Cubs have a choice come the trade deadline — keep Stroman or deal him. Keep him and the Cubs risk losing him to free agency if he opts out or they can’t extend him. Trade him and, well, that could be the Cubs’ season. Right now, the Cubs are just 3.5 games back in the NL Central and five games out of the Wild Card.

If the Cubs trade him, which teams are the best fit? MLB.com outlined three, all of which are on the west coast — the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Angels and the San Diego Padres.

The Dodgers are in third place in the NL West entering Tuesday but at 39-33 they’re only 4.5 games back of Arizona. The Dodgers won the World Series in 2020, still have Clayton Kershaw and complement him with Julio Urias. The Dodgers also have a well-stocked minor-league system from which to choose talent for trade.

The Angels are surging in the American League West, having won seven of their last 10. They’re in second place, five games back of the Texas Rangers and inside the Wild Card race. Assuming the Angels don’t trade two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, Stroman could complement him nicely. Working against the Angels is that they don’t have a highly-regarded minor-league system.

The Padres are two games under .500 and eight games back in the NL West. Given the money they’ve spent, they’re the game’s most disappointing team. They’re also only four games out of the Wild Card race. At last year’s deadline they traded for slugger Juan Soto, so they’re not averse to risk.

If Stroman is moved, it will likely be to a contender. Of course, the Cubs have to figure out if they’re contenders or pretenders first. 

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