[.
The Chicago Cubs have a featured Columnist.
AP Photo/Frank Franklin II
Just hours before the MLB's collective bargaining agreement was expected to expire, Marcus Stroman agreed to a contract with the Cubs.
Marcus Stroman is on the phone.
>
You're ready to deal all year in front of the Wrigley crowd! Let's get to work!
>
>
Marcus Stroman is on the phone.
>
Chicago!
>
>
Marcus Stroman is on the phone.
>
Chicago has always been one of my favorites. There is culture and passion everywhere. Excited to pitch in front of the best fans in sports. Everyone in the city is very welcome. I can feel it. Let's get to work!
>
>
Financial details were not disclosed.
The two sides were in talks after Matt Spiegel of WSCR-AM 670 The Score reported.
"Have heard from 2 different sources that the Cubs and Marcus Stroman are hot and heavy in discussion right now," he wrote. Would love that signing.
The New York Mets had a starting pitcher in Stroman last season. He went 10-13 with a 3.02 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 158 strikeouts in 179.0innings.
The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA is set to expire at midnight. On Wednesday. According to Jesse Rogers, owners are expected to lock out the players without a new deal in place.
Rogers explained what that would mean for free agency.
"Except that teams still could talk to one another." It is possible for trades to be completed during the Lockout but not announced until after it ends. The major league portion of the winter meetings would be canceled. The meetings wouldn't have much point as agents couldn't meet with teams. The media wouldn't be allowed to speak to team personnel about players on 40-man rosters. The minor league side of the meetings would continue. Drug testing would stop during the off season. It would pick up as soon as the new CBA is approved.
Free agents could ink deals with teams before being left out in the cold.
Adding a right-handed pitcher to the rotation is a huge boost to a staff that was third-worst in the National League in terms of strikeouts.
The Cubs' rebuilding team looks to move past a 71-91 campaign that ended with Chicago fourth in the NL Central and is expected to be led by pitcher Marcus Stroman.
The 30-year-old has pitched in the bigs since he was a teenager, but he opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. He was traded to the Mets prior to the trade deadline in 2019.
He has a 3.63 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. He made the American League All-Star team.
