Cubs: Marcus Stroman already thinking about playing for another team

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman is already thinking about playing for another team before his first regular-season game with the team that signed him this winter.

Marcus Stroman has not even pitched in a regular-season game for the Chicago Cubs, but he is already showing some interest about potentially pitching for the San Francisco Giants one day.

Stroman was one of the most notable starting pitchers on the market in MLB free agency. He had discussions about joining the Giants before the lockout. Stroman ended up signing a three-year, $71 million deal to play on the North Side. Though he is a Cub going forward, the Giants’ brass seemed to leave quite the impression on the 30-year-old right-hander. He was so blown away.

“To be honest, I love the Giants and everything about that organization,” said Stroman to USA TODAY Sports‘ Bob Nightengale. “They were incredible. I was blown away. That organization is headed for great, great things. The people from the top down are incredible. They’re with it, man.”

“I would love it at some point down the road to be a part of that team.”

While Stroman could eventually pitch for the Giants down the road, this is a bad look for him.

Marcus Stroman would love to pitch for the San Francisco Giants someday

Even if a player is impressed by the operations of another organization, he cannot speak that glowingly about them, especially after signing a multi-year deal approaching nine figures with another franchise in the same league. Though it may not have been his intention, Stroman’s comments paint a picture that the Cubs organization is second-rate. The optics are horrendous.

Chicago may have blown the whole thing up a summer ago, but the Cubs have a strong recent history of winning games and contending for championships. Given that the NL Central is the most up-for-grabs division in the National League, who is to say the Cubs cannot outplay the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals this year while the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates rebuild?

The good news for Stroman is he has close to a decade left in the tank as a big-league pitcher. This three-year deal he signed with the Cubs will probably not be his last big contract in baseball, assuming he does not get hurt or his performance falls off a cliff over the next three seasons. The Giants will always be there in the Bay Area, but the time is now to go win games for the Cubbies.

Even if Stroman’s remarks about the Giants are concerning, San Francisco looks to be here to stay.