What the Chicago Cubs playoff rotation would look like

3. Marcus Stroman

Hopefully by the time of the real game 3 in October, Stroman would have been back and healthy for weeks. When the Cubs put the 32-year-old on the IL after getting a cortisone shot, he was only expected to miss a start or two so he should be on his way back soon. He needs to string together some quality starts like he did for the first half because his last few games were struggles. He surrendered 13 total earned runs in two games against the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox respectively while going less than four innings in each game.

Stroman has some post-season experience during his time with the Blue Jays, where he tossed 30 innings with a 4.40 ERA over five different starts from 2015-2016. Stroman's success or failure down the stretch, and possibly the postseason, will determine whether he opts into his player option for 2024.