Braves Rumors: 3 high-end rentals, 2 extension candidates to target in trades

Braves trade targets No. 4: Marcus Stroman will cost a fortune, but would be worth it

Of course, if we’re talking about the budget option the Braves could possibly trade for from the Cubs, we also have to talk about the Cadillac sitting on the lot in Marcus Stroman. The NL Cy Young candidate has been wholly dominant this season, most recently notching his 12th Quality Start of the season on June 9 in a win over the Giants.

The 32-year-old Stroman has been lights-out this season, posting a 2.42 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 14 starts for the season. Whenever he’s been on the mound, he’s given the Cubs a viable chance to get a win virtually every single time.

Stroman is one of the more curious trade deadline cases, though. The reason he’s even being mentioned is that the veteran hurler has an opt-out in the final year of his three-year, $71 million pact with the Cubs for the 2024 season. Given his value right now, he’s sure to opt-out. And while he’s expressed to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, among others, that he would like to stay put, the Cubs might be in the best position to trade him and acquire more future assets at this stage of their team-building.

Because of that, if Chicago does make Stroman available for a trade, the cost is going to be enormous. The Braves would surely have to make the cupboards all but bare in the farm system to pull off the move. Having said that, with the way Stroman has performed this season, he would not only possibly make Atlanta the World Series favorite, but could also be intriguing for an extension as it wouldn’t necessarily have to be a long, long-term deal, though it would be hugely expensive.

There’s a lot to weigh regarding Marcus Stroman if you’re the Braves. But the end results of trading for him mean that it’s an option that Anthopoulos and the front office can’t rightly ignore.