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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman will be in the national spotlight this weekend as he will start Sunday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals as the two teams will have a two-game series in London. Ahead of the first game of the series on Saturday, the Cubs arrived in London and team chairman Tom Ricketts was immediately confronted by fans wanting a Stroman contract extension.
Cubs’ fan rally at a pub in London is packed, featuring an appearance from chairman Tom Ricketts.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) June 22, 2023
At one point, fans started chanting, “Stroman! Stroman!” in regards to a contract extension. Ricketts told the crowd to send those requests to Jed Hoyer.
A lively atmosphere here pic.twitter.com/wJfKay4Fei
Ricketts is in mid-season form with his response of "Ask Jed" and honestly, that is the right approach to have. Owners should not meddle in the baseball department's decisions and it is likely that Jed Hoyer will be the decision-maker when it comes to the future of Marcus Stroman.
Some are taking Stroman's lack of a contract extension as a fait accompli in that regardless of the Cubs' winning, the team is not going to let Stroman walk for nothing at the end of the season and that is the reason why he will be traded.
If the Cubs continue their winning ways, Marcus Stroman is not going to be traded at the Major League Baseball Trade Deadline on August 1.
There has only been one instance where Cubs' president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer traded a player because "he had to" and that was when the team dealt starting pitcher Yu Darvish after the 2020 season in a move that was driven by financial reasons.
Last season, when it was clear that the Cubs were sellers at the trade deadline, many took the same stance with catcher Willson Contreras that they have with Stroman this season. The idea was that the Cubs had to trade Contreras at the deadline because they did not want to risk losing him for nothing at the end of the season. Of course, the Cubs did not trade Contreras as they were unable to find the right offer after a failed trade with the Houston Astros.
The Stroman trade rumors have taken on a life of their own and in these instances, it is important to focus on the truths and not speculation. The truths right now are that the Cubs are winning games and Stroman wants to remain with the team for the long term.