Chicago Cubs: 3 moves to drastically improve the starting rotation

Will mutual interest bring Marcus Stroman and the Chicago Cubs together?

Marcus Stroman will certainly be one of the more sought after free agent starters on the market this offseason – but that shouldn’t keep the Cubs from making a serious run at him.

The right-hander accumulated 3.6 WAR, per Baseball Reference, making 33 starts and working to a 1.145 WHIP, 3.02 ERA and 3.49 FIP across 179 innings of work. His strikeout-to-walk numbers jumped sharply in the right direction and he was a key piece of the puzzle for the Mets, especially with Jacob deGrom going down in the second half.

Undoubtedly, New York will extend him a qualifying offer, which he’s almost sure to turn down given the year he just had and his age. The combination will give him a prime opportunity to cash in this winter – and Tom Ricketts could be the man to write the check.

Given Kyle Hendricks’ sharp decline in 2021, if the Cubs brought in Stroman, he may very well take the ball on Opening Day over the veteran hurler. This is a guy who’s shown what he’s made of for years now and really put it all together this season. Chicago desperately needs some front-of-the-rotation reinforcements and this right-hander could be the answer.