Marcus Stroman knows the drill. He was traded once before at the deadline, in 2019 when the Mets acquired him from the Blue Jays. If his present team, the Cubs, does not turn around its season, he could be on the move again.
Stroman does not want that to happen.
“At this point in my career, I’m so open to anything. But it would bother me a bit, just because I feel like I do love it here, as far as the city, the organization from the top down, the fans,” Stroman told The Athletic on Saturday. “It’s incredible playing at Wrigley. Me coming out here 30 minutes before a game and getting a standing ovation, it’s hard to top that.
“It would be tough, very tough in that regard. But at the end of the day, that’s out of my control. I’m sure I’d be happy going to play somewhere else as well.”
The trade deadline is two months away. But the Cubs, 8-19 since their 14-10 start, are spiraling downward. After dropping the first two games of their series against the Reds at Wrigley Field, they are in last place in the NL Central, though only 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Brewers.