Could injuries push Stroman back to the Cubs next season?
With the Cubs in Arizona this weekend, they'll likely get a chance to visit with injured pitcher Marcus Stroman.
Stroman has been throwing bullpens at the Mesa complex and is hoping to return from a rib cartilage fracture before the season ends, most likely in a relief role.
But whether he pitches again in 2023 or not, the offseason trajectory may have changed. There's probably a decent chance Stroman decides not to opt out of his contract and returns to the Cubs next season for $21 million.
The Cubs haven't been interested in engaging Stroman's representatives in contract extension talks. After the injuries late this season, other teams might be thinking the same thing about a long-term deal.
Pitching is usually in high demand and Stroman, 32, was hoping to get a nice payday this winter. But after an all-star first half of the season, he struggled in July, went on the injured list with a hip injury, then developed the rib cartilage fracture. Stroman has thrown 138 and 128 innings over the past two seasons, so durability is a question mark.
He's sure to draw some interest as a free agent, but how much? If teams want to talk about a one-year, make-good contract before discussing a larger deal, why not choose a $21-million make-good season with the Cubs, where he's already very comfortable?
The Cubs would probably be fine with that scenario. Management believes it's on track for a mostly homegrown starting rotation, but it wouldn't hurt to have Stroman and Kyle Hendricks back next year, buying more time for Ben Brown and Cade Horton to develop. Hendricks has a team option worth $16 million for 2024.
Tauch about leadoff:
The debut of Pete Crow-Armstrong was a fun story and he delivered on his defensive reputation right away.
But manager David Ross should probably heed his own words and get back to leaning on the players that put the Cubs in playoff position.
The Cubs are 36-18 this season when Mike Tauchman bats leadoff. There have been other winning ingredients, like a healthy Cody Bellinger and Yan Gomes behind the plate, but nothing to match Tauchman's impact in the win column.
According to Statcast, Tauchman is an average fielder, but there are few examples of him being a defensive liability this year. PCA covers a ton of ground and will be the Cubs' long-term starter in center field, but this is not the time to stray from what's been working.
With Arizona slated to start three right-handers this weekend, the Cubs need to stick with Tauchman in the leadoff spot. Use him at DH if PCA's defense is that important.
The Diamondbacks, Reds and Marlins all lost Thursday afternoon, while the Giants were postponed. So the Cubs gained ground in the wild-card race during their day off. The Brewers are now 4½ games up for the NL Central lead.
One ironic twist is the Cubs missed Arizona's two best starters, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, in this series. But after tossing gems at Wrigley Field last week, both Gallen and Kelly were lit up by the Mets the past two days.
Manager of year:
David Ross is clearly a candidate for National League manager of the year, but Milwaukee's Craig Counsel feels like the clear winner. He's led the Brewers to their sixth-straight (non-pandemic) winning season and are closing in on the NL Central title with a very run-of-the-mill offense.
Sure, the pitching has been great, but Brandon Woodruff was on the injured list from April to August. Adrian Houser and Julio Teheran are both on the injured list now, and the Brewers traded away closer Josh Hader last year. This should be an easy call.
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