Cubs Rumors: Players know they're running out of time

The Cubs went 4-6 on their recent west coast road trip, which would normally be a blip on the radar of a long MLB season. Yet, Chicago is now nine games under .500, making it all the more likely that Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins pull the plug on some pieces of this team's core at the deadline. Marcus Stroman, for one, may already have one foot out the door.

This is not lost on the players. The Cubs reside in the NL Central, so there's always a chance they could turn things around in the next week or so and make a run up the division standings. For now, though, they are 6.5 games back and behind the Pirates, Brewers and Reds.

Nico Hoerner, for one, understands the implications of the deadline. Every game counts double from here until late July.

"We say all the cliches about trusting the process and the season playing out over 162," Hoerner said, per The Athletic. "The season is cut shorter, in a lot of ways, by the trade deadline, as we've seen the last couple years. That's significant. Saying and doing all the right things is nice. But at a certain point, it is a production league…I do like the tone of how people have talked the last week or so. For a long time, it was, 'Stick it out, stay positive, this and that.' That's all real, and I'm all for it. But there's also a level of just kind of competing your ass off."

Many players on the Cubs roster have been through this before — as recently as last season, in fact. To Hoyer's credit, he did not deal Willson Contreras and Ian Happ, instead shopping smaller pieces and retaining some of the team's top talent. Happ remains a Cub, signed to a long-term extension earlier this year.

Is another fire sale looming? It'll largely depend on the team's performance over the next month.

Cubs Rumors: Marcus Stroman extension is on the table

All options are on the table for Chicago ace Marcus Stroman, who has been one of the best pitchers in baseball so far this season. Stroman has a player option in his contract after this season, and assuming he continues to pitch this well, he will exercise it.

Because of that, the Cubs are exhausting all of their options with Stroman. Chicago could either trade the starting pitcher and acquire some prospect capital in return, thus again kicking their rebuild down the road, or sign him to an extension now. The latter option would be preferred by much of the Cubs fanbase, as they are hungry for another winning team at Wrigley Field. As flawed as this group is, they have a number of pieces in place.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today went as far as to say the organization plans to discuss an extension with Stroman prior to the deadline. Stroman has gone on the record, stating he prefers to stay in Chicago.

"Stroman is virtually begging the Cubs to sit down at the negotiating table, but the Cubs have yet to engage. That will change. The Cubs plan to talk to him before Aug. 1 to see how much money he's seeking. If they can't reach an agreement, they'll have no choice but to trade him knowing that teams will be clamoring for him at the trade deadline," Nightengale wrote.

That is good news for fans hoping that this time, Hoyer opts to hold on to his ace.

Cubs Rumors: A Marcus Stroman trade destination

If, for some reason, a Marcus Stroman extension cannot be attained by late July, then perhaps the Cubs would be better off trading their ace and trying to re-sign him this offseason once he is a free agent. The asking price for Stroman would be high, as it should be for a player of his caliber. The starting pitching market should be thin at the deadline considering the number of teams still in the playoff hunt as of this writing.

A team really in need of some top-level pitching talent is the Baltimore Orioles. The O's would be wise to target a rental like Stroman, as they wouldn't have to add to their light payroll beyond this season. Baltimore has a cupboard full of prospects to send Chicago's way, and Stroman immediately makes them a more serious threat in the American League.

The O's hold the top AL Wild Card spot about midway through June. Assuming they can hold that position, adding Stroman gives them a pitcher with experience throwing in the crowded yet difficult AL East division. Stroman also has some postseason experience — something not many players on their current roster can offer. I wrote about Stroman's fit in Baltimore earlier on Monday:

"After rebuilding for the better part of a decade, Baltimore is finally in position to make the postseason again. The only thing they're truly lacking is an ace-caliber starting pitcher, which could rear its ugly head if they do reach the playoffs.

Stroman would not come cheap, but he's exactly what Baltimore needs — one of the best pitchers in baseball who is familiar with the AL East, having previously spent time with the Blue Jays. Even if he's only with the O's as a rental, the time for Baltimore's front office to act is now. No more waiting for what's been a very patient fanbase."

Trading Stroman would hurt for Cubs fans, but the O's are an attractive fit and could give Chicago their best return.