MLB rumors: Cardinals targeting Marcus Stroman after he declines Cubs’ $21 million contract option
The St. Louis Cardinals were mentioned as a team connected to former Chicago Cubs star Marcus Stroman in MLB free agency
The St. Louis Cardinals sorely need pitching, and Marcus Stroman declined the Chicago Cubs’ $21 million contract option. Could Stroman follow in the footsteps of Willson Contreras and leave Chicago for St. Louis? According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, there is a possibility.
“Where does Stroman end up? That’s another interesting question,” Heyman said, via B/R Walk-Off. “I think he made the right call in not coming back to the Cubs for $21 million dollars. The way this pitching market is right now, I think Stroman does much better than that, gets a multi-year deal maybe with an opt-out. Obviously he was injured in the second-half for the most part last year, but he performed outstanding in the first-half.
“He’s really never had an arm injury. I don’t see him going back to the Cubs but I do think there will be a number of teams out there on Stroman. Cardinals are one team I’ve heard connected to Stroman.”
St. Louis surprisingly had a respectable offensive performance despite their all-around miserable 2023 season. The Cardinals’ pitching was abysmal though, which was the primary reason for their forgettable campaign.
Upgrading the bullpen wouldn’t hurt either, but St. Louis’ focus will be on starting pitching. Marcus Stroman enjoyed a tremendous first-half, as Heyman mentioned. The Cardinals will likely be willing to sign him to a long-term contract despite Stroman’s second-half injury concerns.
Stroman is a great candidate to lead the rotation in 2024. St. Louis could then either sign/trade for two or three more reliable pitchers, who don’t even need to be stars necessarily, to rebuild the starting rotation.
Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football, with an emphasis on MLB as a Lead Editor. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.
