Marcus Stroman has been firing on all cylinders as of late and is doing the Chicago Cubs a favor with his trade value.
Chicago Cubs ace Marcus Stroman hasn't just been the best pitcher in the Windy City this year — he's been one of the best in baseball.
On Tuesday, he hurled another gem for the Cubbies with 7.0 innings of shutout work in an eventual 4-0 win over the Pirates.
Stroman has now won his last seven starts and leads the National League with a 2.28 ERA for the season.
In addition to that, he also is making franchise history for the Cubs on the mound with his quality starts.
Cubs rumors: Marcus Stroman helping team by increasing trade value
After getting his seventh win in a row (now 9-4 on the season), Stroman is playing the best he has ever played. His dominance on the mound has other teams wondering if there is more yet to come from the 32-year-old right-hander.
His confidence continues to grow every day and believes he is one of the best in the league right now. In a recent chat with the Chicago Sun-Times, Stroman talked about how overpowering the believes his sinker is right now.
"I've always felt I'm someone who makes quality pitches when I need to. I'm always able to locate, really dig down in big-time moments, so I'm not scared of the big inning. I always attack guys. I pitch off my sinker, and everybody knows that — the entire league knows that — and there's nobody in the league that I won't throw my sinker to."
The Cubs have moved into third place in the NL Central (passing the Pittsburgh Pirates), and are continuing to rebuild their roster. There isn't a player on the trade market that is playing at the level that Stroman is right now.
Without a doubt, Stroman is an All-Star and without him, the Cubs would likely be last in the division. Due to his preeminence, the Cubs' process to find trade assets for Stroman is only becoming easier with each start.
The bigger question will be if Chicago wants to move Stroman. He's in year two of a three-year pact but has a player option for the 2024 season, which everyone expects him to opt out of. Though the pitcher has expressed a desire to stay put, if the organization determines that they're better off acquiring assets to help with the future, then Stroman has perhaps more value than anyone on the trade market.
Either way, he will be the prize of the deadline by the end of July. Of course, if he remains a Cubbie until then.