In a recent article by Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney for The Athletic (subscription required), it was revealed that Marcus Stroman will most likely opt into the final year of his contract, giving him $21 million in 2024.
Marcus Stroman has recently suffered from many injuries and is currently playing hurt out of the Chicago Cubs bullpen in hopes of helping them reach the postseason. In The Athletic article, it was also revealed that the main reason Stroman was pushing for a new contract was that he didn't want to reach free agency with the potential to earn less than he could if extended.
Cubs rumors: Marcus Stroman tried to get an extension, but talks stalled
Stroman tweeted out on June 10, "My agent and I made multiple attempts to engage them on an extension. Club wasn't interested in exploring it now. Will see how it plays out! Love everything about the Cubs organization!"
It now seems likely that he will opt into the final year of his contract and will not see the $100 million or more that many were expecting him to receive before his struggles with injuries and giving up runs started.
Cubs rumors: David Ross could be on the Hot Seat with the Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs have recently beaten the Pittsburgh Pirates 14-1 to start winning again after going 2-8 in their previous 10 games. Many fans are starting to call for the head of David Ross. If they fall flat now and miss the postseason, he might be out.
The Chicago Cubs are building a playoff team, but with David Ross, they've been underperforming massively. On Sept. 16, they played a 13-inning game versus the Diamondbacks in which they lost 7-6, but in that game, David Ross used seven different pitchers, and some of his decisions were questionable at best.
According to Pythagorean Win Projection, we would expect a team with the Cubs run differential to hold a record of 84-67, but instead, they hold a 79-72 record, meaning they have lost in five more games than we would expect.
To put David Ross's career as a player and manager into perspective, he started with the Los Angeles Dodgers after getting selected in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB Draft. He went on to play until 2016 when he retired with the Chicago Cubs, after helping them win the World Series. He was then hired as manager of the Chicago Cubs, and they went 34-26 in 2020, his first season, getting swept in the NL Wild Card Game 2-0 to the Miami Marlins.
He wasn't a manager before getting hired by the Chicago Cubs which were starting to rebuild and needed to get fans in the door, so they hired a fan-favorite. If David Ross can become a manager, it shows that any fan or former player can.
Cubs rumors: Kyle Hendricks doesn't seem to have a future with the Chicago Cubs
It doesn't seem likely that the Chicago Cubs will want to keep Kyle Hendricks long-term after his many struggles in recent years, both in pitching and dealing with injuries. But could be worth it for the Cubs to use the 2024 club option on Kyle Hendricks in hopes of pairing him with Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and possibly Marcus Stroman if he opts in.
The Cubs have a bright future with young arms like Jordan Wicks, Cade Horton, and Ben Brown, among others. At age 33, turning 34, Kyle Hendricks is nearing the end of his playing career, and it would be odd to see him in another uniform.
In 2019, Kyle Hendricks signed a four-year, $55.5 million contract with the Cubs, which included a 2024 vesting option. Since it didn't vest, it's a club option that could pay him $16 million if used or a $1.5 million buyout.
Besides Hendricks' 2020 season, he has either been injured or has massively underperformed his relatively small contract. In the first half of the season, Hendricks looked like he could be in the Cy-Young race, but since then, he has collapsed, holding a 4.30 ERA in 13 games.
Kyle Hendricks can turn around his career. He mostly struggles when he goes through the lineup for the second time. When facing hitters for the first time, he holds a 2.83 ERA, but by the time it's the second time, he has a 5.06 ERA. However, he then fixes his mistakes the third time around, with a 3.26 ERA.