MLB Rumors: Braves-Cardinals trade match, Yankees-Twins trade, Marcus Stroman latest

MLB Rumors: Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts echoes fans, keep Marcus Stroman

Will they or won’t they? That’s the generalized sentiment about the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline this year.

With the Cubbies still below .500 for the season but also quite heavily still involved in the NL Central race, it could go either way over the next 5-6 weeks in the Windy City. And at the heart of that is what the team is going to end up doing with the ace of the rotation, Marcus Stroman.

Stroman is in the second year of his three-year, $71 million contract, but has a player option for the 2024 season. With the way he’s performed this year as one of the leading NL Cy Young candidates to this point, he’s expected to decline that to cash in on one more big payday for the 32-year-old hurler.

As such, the belief has long been that, if the Cubs are unable to work out an extension — even with Stroman outwardly saying he doesn’t want to leave Chicago — then the club is better off trading him. So what does team chairman Tom Ricketts think about the matter?

During an interview with 670 the Score on the Mully and Haugh Show, Ricketts said, “I’m really excited Marcus wants to stay. I know he’s a very talented player and a big part of this team, and it feels like he’s in the right place.”

Ricketts did say in London that he will let general manager Jed Hoyer and the personnel members of the front office handle the matter, but it’s clear there is a belief in the building with the Cubs that they also want Stroman to stay with the organization.

In reality, Ricketts’ assertion reiterates the fact that Chicago is the ultimate wait-and-see team at this year’s trade deadline. If they can stay in the division and playoff race, then it’s more likely they get aggressive to work out an extension with Stroman. Should they fade, however, then the likelihood of the ace getting traded increases substantially.