Chicago Cubs: The 2022 Opening Day dream lineup

On the mound for the 2022 Chicago Cubs: Marcus Stroman

There are a lot of teams out there circling the starting pitcher market this winter – so the Cubs will have their hands full grabbing multiple quality arms. But the top prize looks to be Marcus Stroman, who actually talked about potentially joining the team earlier this year.

The right-hander quietly turned in a 3.7 WAR season this year with the Mets, tying for the league lead with 33 starts. His pitch arsenal is wildly different than anything the Cubs currently boast in their crop of potential starters – and we know Hoyer is focused on adding some new looks, rather than the same old ‘pitch to contact’ types.

Stroman will pitch next year at age 31 – but if the Cubs can land him on a higher AAV-style deal that lets him hit the market again in a few years, he could make for the perfect ace atop a new-look Chicago rotation.

It would take more than Stroman to call this Cubs rotation even remotely solid. But Stroman, Kyle Hendricks and a Yusei Kikuchi is a quality trio to head things up, especially if Justin Steele or Adbert Alzolay can take that next step at the back of the rotation.