Inside The Cubs

Chicago Cubs Ace Listed as Top Starter Available at Trade Deadline

The Chicago Cubs may just have the best trade chip this season when it comes to the MLB trade deadline.
Kade Kistner|
Kayla Wolf-USA TODAY Sports

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Despite weeks of flip-flop talk coming from the Chicago Cubs about their plans at the MLB trade deadline, it appears that the team will likely end up as sellers. 

At least in terms of offloading players on expiring contracts. That leaves open players such as Marcus Stroman, Cody Bellinger and Kyle Hendricks.

All three players will fetch a significant haul.

However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today has Stroman listed as the top starting pitching option available at the deadline. 

Stroman is among the league leaders in ERA and innings pitched and is having a career year. The issue for acquiring teams is that he has an opt-out this offseason in his contract that would allow him to hit free agency. 

He will almost certainly exercise that.

That means that Stroman will be seen as a rental which will drive his price down somewhat. However, he is the most talented pitcher available, unless of course Shohei Ohtani gets traded. 

Either way, come Aug. 1, the Cubs should be a different looking team, but they could be well positioned for contention come 2024. 

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Cubs. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl. During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated. Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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