Cubs Ace Reportedly Could Land With Cardinals As Surprise Free Agent Move
The St. Louis Cardinals are sure to look very different when the 2024 season rolls around.
St. Louis will be looking to add at least two or three starting pitchers and will be aggressive in the free agent and trade markets. It's clear that the Cardinals will be making a few additions and have been linked to seemingly every top name available already.
It is a deep class of starters but the Cardinals will have intense competition. There's a chance the club misses out on Orix Buffaloes ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Philadelphia Phillies star Aaron Nola but there will be other options available. One player whose name has popped up recently as a possible target for the Cardinals is former Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
"Where does Stroman end up? That is another interesting question," Heyman said. "I think he made the right call and not coming back to the Cubs for $21 million for one year. The way this pitching market is right now, I think Stroman does much better than that and gets a multi-year deal maybe with an opt-out clause. Obviously, he was injured in the second half for the most part last year.
"But he performed outstandingly in the first half and 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 in on Stroman. The Cardinals are one team I've heard in on Stroman."
Stroman is a two-time All-Star and would be a very solid option to help boost the Cardinals' starting rotation. He could easily pencil in as a very solid No. 2 starter in a re-tooled St. Louis rotation. Stroman has spent the last two seasons with the rival Cubs and has been a star. He compiled a 3.50 ERA in 25 starts in 2022 and a 3.95 ERA in 2023 in 27 total appearances. Stroman started the 2023 season off strong but injuries slowed him down and impacted his overall numbers.
St. Louis has money to spend and needs to spend it. Stroman likely will cost less than someone like Nola and Yamamoto and could give the club the spending flexibility to land another star as well.
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