Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman opts out of final year of his contract

Right-hander Marcus Stroman answered one question about the Cubs rotation when he opted out the final season of his three-year contract on Saturday, a source confirmed. He had $21 million left in his deal.

“Love everything about Chicago,” read a post to Stroman’s instagram story Saturday morning. “Grateful for the @cubs organization. Thankful to have experienced Wrigley and the fanbase. The consistent energy was incredible. Life is a journey. Excited for whatever comes next.”

Stroman’s opt out will impact the Cubs’ decision-making around their rotation, freeing up salary for them to work with but also creating a hole to fill – either internally or externally.  

The Cubs are set to return left-hander Justin Steele, who was in the Cy Young race for much of the year, and veteran right-hander Jameson Taillon, who is under contract through 2026. They’re expected to bring back Kyle Hendricks, either through his 2024 club option or via a contract extension. Drew Smyly, Hayden Wesneski and Javier Assad ended the season in the bullpen but could return to the rotation. Rookie left-hander Jordan Wicks impressed in the first seven starts of his career.  

“I truly love everything about this organization,” Stroman told the Sun-Times in May. “Being someone who’s [going into] year 10 in the big leagues, I value that. And I love going out into the buzz at Wrigley every time I go out to pitch every fifth day. The organization, top down, how they handle the players, how they handle the families, how they operate, I love everything about it. So I would love to be a Cub for, honestly, the rest of my career and sign one more deal and be done.” 

The preliminary extension talks he and the Cubs had opened in spring training then stalled. Stroman opened up about his frustrations with the process. But he continued to speak highly of the team and its fanbase. 

If Stroman had remained healthy all season, it would have been obvious that he was heading to free agency. But after earning an All-Star selection in the first half of the season, he spent a month and a half on the injured list. Battling hip inflammation before landing on the IL likely contributed to a mid-season dip in production that raised his ERA to a still respectable 3.95 for the year.

The cartilage fracture threatened to end his season, but Stroman shortened his expected recovery timeline to make four appearances in the last couple weeks of the season, two out of the bullpen and two short starts. 

“He was really crucial for us in the first half,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said after the season. “But then, we certainly could have used him in the second half, but he was injured and unable to help us. … The second half of 2022 and the first half of this year were exceptionally good. He’s a really good pitcher. And as we’ve learned, you can never have enough good pitching.”