3 early trade destinations for Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman

Although the writing isn't officially on the Wall with the Chicago Cubs and Marcus Stroman, the lack of talks between the two parties is concerning. However, as Bleacher Nation's Brett Taylor pointed out, it may be a bit premature for the Cubs to even engage in those talks just yet. On the flip side of that argument, the same could have been said for Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ, who were inked in late March and mid-April. Happ especially, whom the front office deemed worthy of an extension without a look before making a decision at the deadline.

That, of course, was well before Stroman became a true baseball ace. Since then, We know the Cubs are not talking to Stroman or his camp regarding an extension. With his league-leading 12 quality starts, the thought of the Cubs not extending him if they wish to be competitive moving forward is a tremendous step backward, especially for a player who loves being in Chicago. Nevertheless, we've seen the Cubs not extend players in the past. With starting pitching being the most crucial facet of a strong team, let's look at three teams that will, without a doubt, come calling if Stroman is officially made available at the trade deadline.

3 trade destinations for Marcus Stroman - Philadelphia Phillies

Last year, the Cubs and Phillies hooked up on a trade that sent closer David Robertson to the Phillies in exchange for pitching prospect, Ben Brown. Over this past offseason, the Phillies won the Trea Turner sweepstakes, signifying the team's intentions to go all in after winning a National League pennant in 2022. This season, the Phils find themselves two games under .500 at this point, not even in a Wild Card spot, and a big reason why is their lack of depth at starting pitcher.

The Phillies currently own a bottom 10 of the league ERA in starting pitching, 12th in the NL, with a mark of 4.69 collectively. Stroman is no stranger to the National League East, and given that the Cubs have built decent rapport with Philadelphia lately, they may come calling to inquire about Stroman's service before the deadline. The Phillies did not put together a top-tier offense (4th in the National League in batting average) to not make the playoffs, only a year removed from a World Series run.

3 trade destinations for Marcus Stroman - Los Angeles Dodgers

Always with a flourishing farm system, the high payroll and prospect-a-plenty Los Angeles Dodgers organization has the team looking like a strong playoff contender year in and year out. Much like Philadelphia, however, the Dodgers are currently experiencing something they rarely do, and that's a need for more quality starting pitching. With a collective rotation ERA of 4.58, the Dodgers currently sit middle of the pack in 8th out of 15 in the NL. For reference, the Dodgers have had the best starting rotation in the National League every year since 2017. For most of those years, they have led all of MLB in starting pitching ERA.

The general thought is that LA's lackluster offseason this past winter is an indication that the team will be making a solid push for Shohei Ohtani and, therefore, may have been reserving funds to do so. In the meantime, the Dodgers need an arm that can routinely earn them quality starts. With the San Diego Padres underperforming and already having depleted the core of their farm last season for Juan Soto, expect the Dodgers to make a strong play for a rental at the deadline. Stroman fits their need perfectly, especially since they have one of the best farm systems in baseball which currently boasts an incredible seven top 100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.