Cubs could have a surprising trade candidate at the deadline

According to Jon Heyman, the Chicago Cubs may already be ready to sell their biggest free agent signing of the offseason.

Only Hollywood marriages last shorter than the relationship the Chicago Cubs may have with Marcus Stroman. According to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, Stroman is one of this year’s early trade deadline candidates.

The list of mostly rentals or players often mentioned in past trade rumors is pretty accurate and offers few surprises other than Stroman. It was only this past offseason when he signed a three-year deal with the Cubs to help lift them out of obscurity.

Unfortunately, it’s looking more like a payroll burden.

Could the Cubs really trade Marcus Stroman halfway through his near contract?

Stroman’s contract is certainly not a desirable one for a team to take on—especially if he’s not performing well. Stroma has made six starts for Chicago, gone 1-4, and been tuned up to a 4.88 ERA. A reliable starter over the years, Stroman factors in best as a number three guy behind a pair of aces.

Finding a suitor for Stroman could be tough for the Cubs given the $25 million payday for this year and another $25 million in 2023. The third year, a player option worth $21 million with a chance to reach $25 million if he hits certain innings totals, is equally as undesirable.

Stroman went into the offseason with some solid numbers any winning team would want to add to their roster. On the surface, he made sense for the New York Mets to re-sign. However, those bridges were burned when he blasted the front office on social media.

The Cubs, in the midst of a rebuild, still threw the money at him. It’s not a bad overpay if there is enough talent around him. Given their status as one of the National League’s basement dwellers, it’s not a deal that’ll pay off this season. But really, when you stack up the rest of the Cubs roster, who thought it would?

In order to have any chance at trading Stroman, two things need to happen. One is he needs to pitch better. That’s a given. The other: the Cubs need to eat a lot of the money owed to him. No team is going to take on that full salary. If they were interested, they would have simply signed him.

Maybe the San Francisco Giants could come calling. After all, before even throwing a pitch for the Cubs, he began his elevator pitch to them.